I'm Looking In
by mistressofburden
Summary: It's been six long years since Kagome left for America. Now she's got her degree and she's returned to Japan to settle down and continue her life with Inuyasha. Only things are not quite what she imagined. Are things between her and the love of her life o
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Okay so I wasn't planning on posting this for a little while…but certain people have all but begged on their hands and knees for me to post as soon as possible. LOL. **

**I've had a ton of questions about what's going to happen and all I'm going to say is that I'm really trying not to make this story clichéd. I know a lot of people considered "I'm On the Outside" to be the typical High School fiction…I personally didn't think that it was, and I tried not to make it seem that way, but we all know how some people can be. I don't want to say too much about this fiction simply because I don't want to give too much away. All I will say is while it may not seem like it…this IS a Kag/Inu fiction, however I am using one of the most…well fucked up for lack of a better term…pairings that I could think of LOL. I don't want to mention it right now, simply because I'm still working out some of the kinks. Please bear with it, it might anger a few of you but it is very VITAL to the progress of my story and the growth of the characters. And no it's not going to end up being Sess and Kagome or anything like that…I promise.**

**Also I will be putting all authors' notes, review notes and disclaimer at the bottom of the rest of the chapters. The only things that will be at the beginning are any inspirational pictures and notes of music that may be used in future chapters.**

**I don't own Inuyasha. Please Read and Review.

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Kagome Higurashi shifted in the uncomfortable seat of the plane. She was happy to finally be going home for longer than a few weeks or months. It was just a few short hours before she would be surrounded by everything she knew and loved and that thought made her giddy with excitement.

"Excuse me," A man said, moving to sit in the empty seat beside her. "Would you like something to drink?"

Kagome grimaced inwardly. "Oh, I'm fine, thank you anyway." She told him, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

"You must think that I'm terribly rude." He said, not taking Kagome's hint. "My name is Ian Grant."

Kagome nodded and politely took the man's hand. "Kagome."

"Pleasure." Ian said with a grin. "So why are you headed to the land of the rising sun?"

That time it took almost everything in her not to roll her eyes and sigh in annoyance. "I'm returning home to Tokyo. I was going to school in New York for the past six years." Kagome told him. "Yourself?"

"Business, I'm going on behalf of client to discuss a merger." Ian told her. "Coming from Tokyo you're probably familiar with the man I'm meeting with. Sesshomaru Tashio?"

Kagome's face broke out into the first genuine smile since he sat with her. "I know him quite well. My _fiancé _is his younger brother."

Ian paled at that announcement. "I see. Well I should return to my seat, I left my laptop out. Enjoy the rest of the flight!"

Kagome laughed quietly to herself. It never failed to intimidate people when she mentioned knowing the Tashio family intimately. She knew that there were several people who were terrified of her school simply because they knew she was close to them. On the downside that had limited the friends she made while she was there.

Kagome sighed and settled lower in her seat. Also calling Inuyasha her fiancée wasn't completely correct. However it was so much easier than calling it what it was.

Inuyasha and his half brother, Sesshomaru, were feared not only because of their name. Their family business was the largest in the world, thanks to Sesshomaru's keen business sense and many companies sought mergers with them, just to keep from being taken over. However that wasn't the only reason to fear the Tashio brothers.

Their father was an Inu-Youkai, the leader of all Youkai in Japan. The eldest son, Sesshomaru, became Tai-Youkai after his father died twenty-two years earlier. Sesshomaru was a full blooded Youkai and while he appeared to be in his mid to late twenties, he was already well over three hundred years old. His birth mother had been killed some time in 1842, at least that's what Inuyasha had told her. Apparently there had been a great extermination of Youkai in America around that time. It helped her to understand why the Youkai she met while at school all hid themselves behind concealments.

Inuyasha was a half demon; his human mother had met his father years after the death of his first mate. She too was much older than she appeared. While she easily appeared to be in her thirties of forties, she was over a hundred years old.

The blood she had shared with Inuyasha's father slowed her body's aging process. She now aged as if she were a Hanyou. The same thing happened to Kagome when she mated Inuyasha in her senior year of high school.

She had met Inuyasha in elementary. Since he was a Hanyou he had aged at the same rate as a human child until he turned 18 and his Youkai blood became more dominant.

Kagome smiled to herself and reached under her seat for her bag. She pulled out the small photo album that she always carried with her and began to flip through it. Inuyasha was in almost all the pictures from her youth, along with their two best friends Miroku Nakamura and Sango Yamamoto. She smiled at the memories each of the pictures brought.

She flipped to the pages of her final year of high school. In almost all the pictures she and Inuyasha had their arms around each other. Even when surrounded by their friends they were standing together, arms around each others waist. She often found herself wondering how it was that they never realized their attraction to each other.

She came across one of her favourite pictures, taken not long before she left for America. She and Inuyasha were standing with Miroku and Sango. They were dressed in their graduation gowns, proudly displaying their diplomas. Kagome reached down and traced Inuyasha's face with her finger, lingering over the dog ears that were perched on top of his head.

She sighed and closed the book. It had been six long years and so much had happened. Sango got a teaching degree, Miroku and Inuyasha both had business degrees and were working for Sesshomaru. Kagome had gotten a degree in youth counselling and child care. Miroku had asked Sango to marry him on the day of graduation and they would finally be getting married in a few months.

That thought made Kagome smile, glad that she hadn't missed their wedding. She swore that Sango made a big fuss about waiting, especially since she had insisted on Kagome being her maid of honour.

Kagome sighed and looked out the window, surprised to see the landmass below the plane. She realized that it wouldn't be long before she was home.

"Are you sure you wrote down the right information?" Sango asked, staring at the gate anxiously.

Miroku rolled his eyes for the thousandth time since they had gotten there. "Yes, I have all the information that Akina left on the answering machine."

"And does Kagome know we're picking her up?"

"Miroku!" Kagome screamed from the gate of the plane.

"Does that answer your question?" He smirked.

He grunted as Kagome threw herself at him, knocking the breath out of him slightly. Sango smirked giving him the "it serves you right" look as every vein in his head popped out from the force of Kagome's hug.

After several minutes of watching her fiancée turn a lovely shade of purple, Sango finally took pity on him and spoke up. "Man you've known me the longest and I get the least amount of love."

Kagome laughed and released Miroku who resisted the urge to collapse on the floor. Sango and Kagome shrieked and hugged, looking very much like the cliché men had of women who hadn't seen each other for a long time. The two women were speaking excitedly at the same time, making Miroku wonder how they were having a conversation.

"Should I expect you two to be going to the bathroom together now?" Miroku asked, amused at the situation in front of him.

Both women immediately stopped talking and turned to look at him. Miroku whimpered at the cold looks they shot him and quickly made his way to the baggage claim. Sango laughed and looped her arm through Kagome's.

"It's good to have you home." She told her. "You have so much to help me with."

Kagome laughed and allowed Sango to lead her over to where Miroku stood, waiting for her luggage. "It's good to be home. I can't wait for your wedding." She said. "Those ones there are mine Miroku."

Miroku grabbed the red luggage, muttering how he should have known she'd pick that color. He gaped at the eight large suitcases and walked away shaking his head. "Did you leave anything back there?" He called over his shoulder.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I was gone for six years you moron! Be grateful I lived in a furnished apartment."

Miroku returned with a luggage trolley and followed the women out to the car. They loaded everything into the back and climbed in, heading towards the shrine. "So how come Inuyasha didn't come with you guys?" Kagome asked.

She didn't miss the way Miroku swerved slightly, nor did she miss the look that Sango and Miroku gave each other. "He had to work." Sango said finally. "Sesshomaru's been really riding the two of them. I had to go in there and threaten his integrity to get Miroku to come with me."

"Oh." Kagome said staring out the window.

Sango turned back to the front window, a nagging guilt piercing her heart. There was so much Kagome had to know, but for now she needed to get settled back into her old life.


	2. Chapter 2

They pulled up to the shrine and Kagome wasted no time jumping out of the car. Miroku watched, an expression of complete awe on his face as the girl took the steep stairs two or three at a time. "Man I can't even walk up those things without getting winded."

Sango smirked, but said nothing. She was currently phoning into the shrine, using the code they had worked out to let Akina know that her daughter was home. After letting it ring three times she hung up and climbed out of the car. "Think you can make it up the stairs with those?" Sango asked, pointing to the suitcases.

Miroku groaned, his back still aching from having to haul them into the trunk. "How much do you think it would take to bribe Shippou and Souta to do it for me?"

Sango laughed and tucked herself against him as they started up the shrine steps. "Maybe if you get Kagome to ask they'll do it."

They reached the top of the shrine steps to hear the chorus of "surprise!" and "welcome home". They laughed at Kagome's excited scream and stepped across the threshold. Kagome wasted no time hugging her mother, brother and grandfather tightly. She moved to Shippou, who didn't look a day older then when she had left. She picked up the small Kitsune and hugged him tightly while he clung to her. She moved around the room hugging friends and family.

She stopped in front of Inuyasha's mother and had tears spring to her eyes as she hugged the woman who was like her second mother. "It's so good to have you home." Kohana Tashio said to the girl.

Kagome pulled back and took a step away in shock when she spotted Sesshomaru standing a few feet away. A feeling of dread overcame her when she saw him, a part of her brain questioning why Sesshomaru would make Inuyasha stay at the office while he attended the coming home party.

"Inuyasha is in an important meeting." Sesshomaru said quickly. "He tried to get it to wrap up early, but unfortunately the men he's speaking too are taking up more time then he expected."

Kagome couldn't help the feeling that something wasn't right with that explanation, but she shrugged it off and went about enjoying her party. Her mother served oden, Kagome's favourite meal. She had tried to make it several times for herself while in America and failed miserably each time. Sure it had been edible, but it just didn't taste the same.

She smiled and laughed through dinner and the rest of the party, all the while desperately trying to ignore the nagging feeling at the back of her mind. _Oh give it a rest, Inuyasha is not the kind of guy to cheat. You two are mates, so he'd have to release you from the bond first. _She thought. _If that's possible._

Still, she noticed the guilty looks everyone seemed to be wearing and more than once she had stood up to go to the bathroom or to get a drink and Sesshomaru had yanked Shippou back by his tail. Something was definitely wrong, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

Kagome closed the door with a sigh after seeing Kohana, Shippou and Sesshomaru out. Now she was only left with Miroku, Sango and her family. "I guess I should start hauling those monstrosities you call suit cases up the shrine steps." Miroku sighed.

"Hang on, I'll help you." Kagome said. She didn't miss the anxious look he gave Sango, so she turned to her friend. "Can you do me a favour and help mom with the dishes. I know she won't let me touch them since this is 'my night'."

Sango chewed her lip nervously but nodded and stood. Miroku sighed in defeat and followed Kagome outside to his car. He unlocked the trunk and raised it, but had to jump away when Kagome suddenly slammed it shut and pinned him to the car.

"Kagome, if you wanted to have your way with me you could have just said something. I'm sure that Sango wouldn't mind trying out the whole swinger's life style."

Kagome's eyes dropped into a glare. "Can it Miroku. I know something is going on, that you guys are all trying to hide from me and I want to know right now what it is."

Miroku tried to laugh and push her away, but Kagome wasn't moving. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Kagome's left eyebrow rose. "Miroku either tell me what the fuck is going on or I will do everything in my considerable power as Sango's best friend to make sure that you don't get laid again until well after you're married."

Miroku briefly weighed his options and yelped when Kagome's hand suddenly became a death grip on the most prized area of his body. "Inuyasha's seeing somebody!" He yelped out.

Kagome's hand instantly let go and she took a step back. "What?"

"After he got that email from you, he was so heart broken. It took him a long time to get over it." Miroku said.

"Email? What email?"

"I don't know. All I know was that he got an email from you and he was so upset about it. He didn't eat or sleep for like five days until Kohana threatened to take him to the hospital if he didn't. He wouldn't tell any of us what was in it, but we could see how broken up he was. Sango and I though maybe you were going to stay in America for a few more years and wanted him to move on with his life."

"Who is it?" Kagome said at last. "Who is he seeing?"

"Ayame."

Kagome tried to fight the sob that rose in her throat. She and Ayame had been friends in high school, at least until Kagome had dated Kouga. After that they grew distant and never talked except for a few polite hellos.

"How long have they been seeing each other?"

"Only a few months. I kind of blame myself for it. I made him come out with me and Sango one night and she was there and God was she persistent."

Kagome collapsed to her knees, ignoring the biting pain of the gravel digging into her skin. "So that's why he wasn't here tonight."

"We tried to get him to come. We told him that if he saw you and got an explanation from you, he would realize that he was mistaken." Miroku said, crouching down to pull Kagome to him. "Sango and I wanted to tell you what was going on, but everyone else thought it was best not to."

Kagome laughed bitterly at that. "Why, so that I could find out on my own? So that I could make a complete ass of myself only to find out that he didn't want to be with me any more?"

"He does want to be with you, I'm positive he does." Miroku said.

"Then why is he with Ayame?"

Miroku stayed silent. He couldn't answer that question; he simply didn't know the answer to it. Whenever they asked Inuyasha that exact same question all they got was a silent shrug. Kagome let loose the damn of tears that she was holding back and Miroku did the only thing he could think of. He held her.

Eventually her sobs lessened and Kagome felt like dead weight in his arms. He knew she was tired from the plane trip, and the exhausting cry had obviously done her in. He carefully picked her up in his arms and made his way up the shrine steps. He kicked on the front door gently until Sango came and opened it for him.

"What happened?" She asked.

Miroku shook his head and turned to Souta. "I'll give you fifty bucks to bring in your sister's crap from the trunk."

Souta's eyes widened and he nodded, "Where's the keys?"

"In the lock now scram." He locked eyes with Sango. "You come with me."

Sango nodded and followed him up the stairs to Kagome's room. "You told her didn't you?"

Miroku nodded. "I told her. She had a right to know what was going on."

"She obviously didn't take it well." Sango said softly.

"Would you?"

"Did she tell you what was in the email?"

Miroku shook his head and lay Kagome down on her bed. "No, I don't even think she knew what I was talking about. Something doesn't seem right to me about this."

"Of course it's not right. We waited twelve years for them to pull their heads out of their asses and just when things go right, fate comes along and fucks everything up." Sango muttered, not missing the brief amused smile that crossed Miroku's face at her cursing.

"Well maybe fate will fix this some how." He said, covering Kagome with a blanket. "Cause I know that if fate doesn't, a certain fiancée will."

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**AN: There we go, big news broken and obviously it didn't go to well. Please don't flame about this pairing, it won't last long…believe me it'll be gone before you know it. AND it is essential for the growth of the characters and the plot of this story. I know you're going to have a lot of questions, especially since they are in a very strict mating bond, but that will all be explained soon.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	3. Chapter 3

Inuyasha Tashio groaned and woke up, briefly wondering if the pounding he was hearing was in his head or if it was real. All doubt was erased when he heard his mothers voice float through the door.

"Inuyasha you get your ass out here right now."

He slipped out of bed and found it a little ironic that his mother had no problem using her spare key to enter his loft, but she still knocked on his door. "You bellowed?" He asked as he opened the door to his mother.

"No, I called you like a lady, there's a difference." Kohana said no sign of amusement in her voice.

"Mom, what do you want at," He threw a glance over his shoulder. "Shit it's only midnight?"

Kohana glared at her son before grabbing onto his arm and hauling him out of his own bedroom. "Is she here?"

"Who?"

"Don't be smart."

"No mom, Ayame isn't here." Inuyasha said with a sigh, wincing as his mother's nails dug into his skin. "What's this all about anyway?"

Kohana all but threw him onto his couch before sitting down on the coffee table across from him. "Oh I don't know maybe that!" She exclaimed pointing at the mate mark that was still clearly visible on her son's chest. "I thought Sesshomaru and I told you that if you weren't going to remain faithful to Kagome to release the bond."

Inuyasha sighed, really not wanting to get into this with his mother when he had to be up in five hours. "Why are you guys so quick to blame this on me?"

"Because until you tell me otherwise I'm going to assume it is the fault of your stubborn Youkai side." Kohana said. "Now why haven't you followed our instructions?"

"Maybe I have and it just hasn't faded on me yet." Inuyasha snapped.

"Don't give me that bullshit." Kohana all but growled at him. "I saw her mark and it's still the same."

That caught Inuyasha by surprise more than his mother's swearing. "You saw Kagome?"

"Of course I saw her. She got home tonight and we all had to cover for you to tell her why you weren't there." Kohana snapped.

Inuyasha's response was cut off by his phone ringing. He ignored it deciding to let the machine pick up, praying that it wasn't Ayame. "Inuyasha, its Sango. Miroku told Kagome what's been going on. Look, I think you need to talk to her about this. Call me later, provided Kohana hasn't killed you yet."

The machine clicked off and Inuyasha buried his face in his hands, swearing loudly. His ears twitched as the sound of his mother standing and leaving the room met his ears. "Mom?"

Kohana stopped and look back at her son. "What?"

"How do I fix this?"

Kohana sighed and went back to her son, pulling him to her. "I don't know honey."

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Kagome awoke the next morning to the sound of birds chirping outside her window. She scowled at the happy sound and pulled her pillow over her head. She fingered the corner of it while she bit her lip, willing the tears not to come. Unfortunately her tear ducts didn't respect her wishes and the tears fell freely.

She briefly cursed her own stupidity, wondering how she could have let herself think that Inuyasha would wait for her. She sighed and sat up, wiping angrily at her tears. She looked around her room and briefly laughed at the fact that it hadn't changed since she went to America.

She reached over onto her night stand and picked up the picture of her and Inuyasha. With an angry cry she heaved it across the room, feeling satisfied at the sound of the glass breaking. "What more could I do?" She screamed, falling to her knees.

She was grateful that the house was empty when she emerged from her room. She didn't really feel like explaining her sudden outburst to her mother. Kagome looked around the house, realizing that just like her bedroom, nothing had changed. Yet, she felt like a stranger in her own house.

With a sigh she grabbed a set of car keys and headed down the shrine steps. Her mother's car was there, telling Kagome that Akina must have gone shopping. For some reason her mother loved to walk to and from the grocery store, even though her shoulders would ache constantly afterwards.

Kagome climbed into the car, not really knowing where she wanted to go, but just needing to be out of the confines of the house and her painful memories. But as she drove she realized there weren't too many places she could go that wouldn't bring back a memory of Inuyasha.

She punched the steering wheel and quickly turned left, successfully cutting off two other cars. She briefly wondered if she caused an accident. She drove through the quiet streets before pulling up to the curb and shutting off the engine. She hadn't been here since the night of graduation, and while that night brought shivers to her body and made her stomach flip it also made tears prick her eyes.

She climbed out and pushed open the gates of the cemetery, wandering down the familiar path until she reached her fathers grave. She sat down across from the tombstone, noticing the fresh flowers and how the stone was clean of any dirt.

"Hey dad." Kagome began, feeling a little silly to be talking to a tombstone. "It's been awhile since I last came to see you, but I was in America. I have a degree now, I'm thinking of working with kids. I hope you'd be proud of me, I worked so hard to get where I am."

Kagome laughed bitterly at that. "A lot of good it did me though." She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them tightly. "I don't know if you remember Inuyasha, he was the little Hanyou that I was friends with in school, you met him a few times. Well we stayed friends the whole time, just like you said that we would.

"We kind of became more than friends. We became mates, which is like a Youkai marriage. It happened in my senior year. I was so happy back then daddy. I left for America a few months later, but the time that I did have with him, it was the best I could ever ask for.

"I left for school and I felt like I was leaving a piece of me behind. I missed him so much; I didn't think it was possible for a person to feel that much pain in their heart. The only thing I looked forward to every break was seeing him. I came home just to see him. He visited me a few times in America and God they were amazing times. But when I came home for good."

Kagome sobbed and hugged her knees tighter. "It hurts so much daddy. I love him and I want to be with him so bad, but he's seeing someone else. Miroku said that it was after an email that I sent him, but I can't think of which one! I want to see him so bad, I want to hold him and kiss him and love him, but I can't. I didn't think I'd ever feel so alone, so broken."

Kagome raised her head and wiped at her tears, her eyes drifting over to the left. The large statue not far from her father's grave caught her attention and after a whispered promise to visit again soon she walked over to it.

This statue had been the reason for her and Inuyasha's visit here six years ago. Kagome traced the lettering of Inuyasha's father's name. A breeze picked up around her, much as it had the first time she had seen this grave. For some reason she felt comforted by the caress. She smiled and closed her eyes, thinking about how the wind seemed to be talking to her, saying her name.

"Kagome?"

Kagome's eyes snapped open and her head whipped around to the owner of the voice. Her eyes widened at the sight of Inuyasha standing to her right. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at him. He looked the same, his hair was a little longer, his facial features a little sharper, but he was still gorgeous.

She quickly straightened and took a step back. "I'm sorry, I was just visiting my dad's grave and thought I should pay my respects while I was here."

Inuyasha held up a hand. "It's alright; you don't have to make up any excuses."

"Look I should go." Kagome said. "It was good seeing you."

Inuyasha rushed forward and grabbed her arm. "Kagome I…" He trailed off as she turned.

Kagome gasped as she suddenly found her lips crushed against his. Her hands instantly flew to his hair, burying them in the silky strands. Inuyasha moaned and cocked his head, changing not only the angle, but the intensity of the kiss. Kagome had never experienced anything like this kiss. Her toes were curling in her shoes and her legs were quickly turning to jelly.

Inuyasha's arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her tightly against her, putting everything he had into the kiss. Every feeling of love and longing into that kiss. It was as if he was trying to put every missed day, hour, minute and second into that kiss.

His lips were suddenly torn from hers as she shoved away from him with a sob. "I can't do this." She whispered and ran away from him.

Inuyasha stood there, the breeze wafting her scent around him. While he could smell her sadness and her tears, he couldn't help but smell the lingering scent of her arousal. _Maybe there's hope for us yet._ He thought, watching her figure disappear over the hill.

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	4. Chapter 4

Kagome climbed into her car, wiping angrily at her tears. She cursed her stupidity, not only for going to that grave but also for allowing Inuyasha to kiss her. She also swore loudly at the fact that his kiss had left her aching for more and she knew that he knew it.

"Stupid arrogant bastard thinks he can just come up and kiss me like that!" She muttered. She jumped when her cell phone rang and picked it up without glancing at the caller ID. "What?" She snapped into the phone.

"Hello to you too Kagome." Sesshomaru's smooth voice reached her ear.

"Perfect, first I have to deal with your idiot brother now you, what do you want."

Sesshomaru pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at in shock. "What did I do to you?" He snapped back.

"Oh I don't know, telling me that my stupid, two timing ass hole of a mate was in a meeting instead of telling me the truth." Sesshomaru fell silent. "Yeah that's what I thought."

"Look, we all wanted to tell you, but Inuyasha made us promise not to. I'm a Youkai, my word is my bond, I can't ever go back on a promise."

Kagome pinched the bridge of her nose. "I know, I know." She sighed. "So why am I getting the pleasure of this phone call?"

"I have a proposition for you." Sesshomaru told her.

"Oh really?"

"Yes, do you have time to come over now or shall we put it off for tomorrow?"

Kagome chewed her lip in contemplation. What did she really have to do today? Unpack eight suitcases filled with crap that she probably didn't need and then sit around and put up with the looks of pity from her family. At least Sesshomaru wouldn't give her that look, she laughed bitterly at the thought that Sesshomaru rarely showed any kind of emotion.

"Why are you laughing?" Sesshomaru's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Never mind, I can come by now." Kagome told him. "I can be there in 45 minutes."

Kagome knocked on the front door of Sesshomaru's large estate. She could hear grumbling coming from the other side as the door slowly opened. She looked down, and was greeted by Jaken, Sesshomaru's personal aide.

"What do you want?" Jaken snapped.

"You know for a Youkai that only comes up to my knee you'd think you'd know when to be polite." Kagome told him.

"How dare you!" Jaken squealed.

Kagome rolled her eyes as Jaken continued on his tirade. "Oh shut up, you stinking little toad!" She shouted kicking Jaken out of her way.

"It never fails to amaze me how far you can kick him." Sesshomaru said ducking as his small aide went flying past his head.

Kagome smirked at Sesshomaru. "And I was gentle that time, think of how far he would have gone had I actually put some effort into it."

Kagome was slightly startled by Sesshomaru's laughter. She had only heard it a few times herself and it never failed to surprise her. She smiled at him, tears quickly springing to her eyes. She let out a sob and allowed the Youkai to pull her against him.

"I don't know why I'm crying!" Kagome muttered against his chest.

"You have every right to be upset. My brother is an asshole that's why you're crying, you're hurt, you're confused and…" Sesshomaru trailed off. "And getting snot all over my three thousand dollar suit."

Kagome burst out laughing pulling away from Sesshomaru. "I never thought I'd hear _you_ say the word _snot_."

"Living with a child will do that to you." Sesshomaru said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and led her to his study.

"So what's this proposition for me?"

Sesshomaru sat down and motioned for Kagome to do the same. "Well I was speaking to Kohana this morning and she actually came up with the idea. We thought that maybe being back at the shrine would be a bit restrictive on you. You've been on your own for six years, doing as you please, and now you have to be respectful to the place you're living."

Kagome's eyebrows rose in interest, she truly hadn't thought about that. "Go on."

"Well, there aren't too many places in Tokyo that a student fresh out of College and looking for work could afford, so..." He paused to take a sip of water, making Kagome want to lunge across the desk and strangle him in her impatience. "Why don't you move in here? Don't worry about rent until you have a job and then we will work out something you can afford. I have plenty of rooms and many of them have their own private entrances and are like suites. I will have company; you'll be able to help me with Rin."

"She's still here?" Kagome interrupted.

"Of course." Sesshomaru said like it was ridicules for her not to be. "She'll be turning fifteen soon, and she could use another female in the house. And when things get tough there's always Jaken to kick around, and that would provide me with hours of entertainment."

Kagome smiled. "I don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of you because you're, you know, _his_ brother."

Sesshomaru's eyes dropped into a playful glare. "Even if you weren't mated to that idiot little brother of mine I would still offer you this. We are family and at least this way I can provide you with some protection. I fear that if Inuyasha releases you from the bond, a few Youkai would be more than willing to take his place."

Kagome's face scrunched up. "I'd prefer not to think of that right now. It's still a little hard to accept what's going on as it is."

Sesshomaru nodded. "So what do you say would you like to move in here?"

* * *

Akina choked on her tea and stared at her daughter in shock. "You want to what?"

"Move in with Sesshomaru." Kagome repeated.

"Are you sure living with Sesshomaru is a good idea?" Akina asked.

"Mom, I don't mean any offence, I just got used to my freedom and taking care of myself." Kagome explained. "At least you know I'm safe with Sesshomaru."

"I know that, but are you sure that's a good idea?" Akina asked. "After all, you just returned home and,"

"Mom, please trust me on this one. I can't stay here, if I stay here…" Kagome trailed off.

"It's because Inuyasha knows you're here, isn't it?"

Kagome didn't respond to her mother right away. She wanted to choose her words carefully to make her mother understand. "Mom, I still want him."

Akina stared at her daughter thoughtfully. "You're afraid that if you're here and he comes to see you, you won't be able to refuse him."

Kagome chewed on her lip and stared at her cup. "I don't know. It's like I know that at Sesshomaru's I can easily escape him. There are so many places to 'hide' there, and Sesshomaru can protect me from…"

"Yourself?"

Kagome nodded. "Exactly."

Akina sighed. "Kagome, I won't pretend to know what you're going through. I think that you and Inuyasha need to sit down and talk about this. I know something isn't right. He told us all about the email…"

"What _email_?" Kagome demanded, standing up so quickly that her chair fell over. "I don't understand what everyone is talking about."

"You never emailed him?" Akina asked gently.

"Of course I emailed him. I called him, emailed him, IM'd him." _Among other things._ "I talked to him every God damned chance that I had mom. I would call him while I was running for my next class, even if it was to only hear his voicemail. Do you know how stalkerish that is?"

"It's called being in love." Akina countered. "And being separated from that love."

Kagome snorted at that comment. "In love? If he was so fucking in love with me, why is he with _her_!" She shouted.

Akina flinched at her daughter's anger. "Darling, the only one who can answer that is Inuyasha, and I honestly don't know why he's with Aya-"

"Don't say her name." Kagome growled. "It's less real if you don't say it."

"That's denial."

"It's less painful is what it is."

The two women turned at the new voice. Kohana was leaning against the frame of the back door. "Akina, may I speak with Kagome alone?" Akina nodded and left the kitchen.

"Don't you start lecturing me." Kagome snapped.

"Oh believe me the only person I intend to lecture is my bull-headed son." Kohana told her. "Kagome, I'm not going to tell you I know what you're going through. I don't, none of us do. I personally don't understand it. Inu-Youkai typically only take one mate, and quite often they die without them." Kagome flinched at those words. "I don't want my son to die Kagome."

"And you think I do?"

"No, I don't. But I think you're dying."

Kagome's jaw dropped in shock. "You think I'm dying?"

"Yes." Kohana said. "Youkai mating is not to be taken lightly, especially when that Youkai is an Inu, half or full. I told that to Inuyasha when he first took you as his mate. I hoped that maybe he would realize that you were both still so young and release you from the bond."

"Sesshomaru said something about that. I don't understand what you mean." Kagome said, sinking back into her chair with a sigh.

"There is a way to release the mating bond. If you were both Youkai, or Hanyou, you'd be able to do it, but since he's the one with Youkai blood, only he can do so. It was made for situations where a Youkai mated too young or made a mistake. It was common back several centuries ago for Youkai and Hanyou's to mate while under the influence of magic's. They learned quickly how to release themselves from those bonds.

"I had hoped after he told me what happened that he would release the bond. It would take away your mark and any trace of scent trapped in your body thanks to his blood. It would leave you free to find another mate: human, Hanyou or Youkai."

"The Youkai equivalence of divorce." Kagome muttered.

"Pretty much." Kohana said taking Kagome's hand. "However, my son is being stubborn and won't release the bond. I don't know why. I know he is not happy with Ayame, she's a rebound gone wrong. I think that he's afraid that if he releases the bond, he'll lose you completely."

"It wouldn't have been any different if we hadn't mated." Kagome whispered, her voice cracking.

"He was always afraid of losing you, Kagome." Kohana told her gently. "Every fight you two had cut him to the quick. I've seen Youkai die because they've lost a mate, and when you two would go days without speaking, he'd look just like them. His Youkai has always wanted you for a mate, he was just to stupid to listen to it. There was no way you two could have avoided mating, it was destined to be."

"If that's true, then this was destined to be." Kagome said bitterly, wiping at the tears that threatened to fall.

"Or, perhaps this was just meant to test you."

Kagome sighed. "I still don't see why you think I'm dying."

"You're not dying physically, you're soul is." Kagome's eyes shot to Kohana's. "I can see it in your eyes. They're becoming empty, much like mine were when Keitsuyoi died."

"How did you survive that?" Kagome asked. "If Youkai die from missing their mates, can't the same happen to humans?"

Kohana nodded. "Most definitely. The only thing that kept me going was Inuyasha. I had to live for him."

Kagome sighed and buried her face in her hands. "What do I do? Ask him to give me a child so that I have a reason to go on?"

Kohana shook her head and wrapped her arms around the young woman. "No, you simply have to ask him to release you. That way you can move on."

"And if I don't want to move on?" Kagome asked softly.

"Then you find a way back to each other." She told her. "You two are meant to be, you'll find a way back, one way or another."

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of** **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Lemon Warning: Please go to www . geocities . com / gerrysmistress / ili5 . html for the full version of this chapter or message me for the link.

* * *

**

Inuyasha was sprawled out on his couch reading over a contract when the doorbell rang. His eyebrows rose in surprise as he sat up and glanced at the clock, hoping that it wasn't Ayame coming for a surprise visit. With a sigh he climbed to his feet and silently moved to his door. He tried to sniff out who was on the other side of it, but the large metal door blocked out almost all scents, one of the many reasons why he had picked this place.

He unlocked the door and slid it open. To say he was shocked to see Kagome on the other side was the understatement of the year. In fact, he took a step back from the door and ended up tripping on his own shoes.

Kagome's hand flew to her mouth to try and hold in the giggle that threatened to escape. "What happened to mister smooth, who never fell over?"

"He never got attacked by his own shoes." Inuyasha muttered as he picked himself up. "So, what's up?"

Kagome sighed and thrust a bag through the door. "I found a bunch of your stuff in my suitcases while I was unpacking; I thought I'd bring them over to you."

Inuyasha's face fell. "Oh, you didn't have to do that." He said. _That's so final._

"Well they're yours, it's only right that I return them to the proper owner." Kagome said, fidgeting nervously. "Anyway, I came to bring you that, so I should go."

Inuyasha's head flew up. "Wait!" His sudden outburst surprised Kagome and she glanced back at him. "Do you want to come in for some coffee or something?"

Kagome shifted uneasily under his gaze. "Um, sure."

Inuyasha stepped back to allow her in. Kagome braced a hand on the wall to slip off her shoes. "I never thought I'd see you wearing heels."

"Well, I had to dress pretty formal for my practicum; I guess I just got used to them." Kagome said following him into the kitchen.

"Right. So how did you get in? My phone didn't ring for the buzzer downstairs."

"Oh, one of your neighbours took pity on me. I was trying to figure out which place was yours, Shippou gave me the street address, but not the loft number." Kagome told him.

"When did you see Shippou?" Inuyasha asked. "I dropped him off at Sesshomaru's hours ago so he could spend time with Rin."

"Oh, yeah." Kagome said, forgetting that Inuyasha didn't know that she was living at Sesshomaru's. "I was over there to see if Sesshomaru heard anything on the job front for me."

"Anything?"

Kagome sighed and sat down at the counter. "Not yet. He's been looking into it for the month that I've been back and still nothing."

"I've called over to the Shrine a few times. Souta always said that you were at work though."

"Well I take care of Rin from time to time." Kagome said, cursing her brother for not telling her which excuse he was using. "Sess is putting her into a public school next year so I've been helping her to integrate as it were."

Inuyasha nodded and pulled down two coffee mugs. He poured them each a cup and added what they both liked. "It's funny that I can still remember how you like your coffee." He muttered.

Kagome bit her lip. "Look, if this is too awkward, I can go."

Inuyasha shook his head. "No, it's alright."

Kagome nodded and looked down at her cup, staring at the steam that rose from the cup. She decided now was the best time to tell him what she and Kohana had talked about. Only when she looked up, all thought process seemed to fly right out the window. Inuyasha had somehow crept up beside her and was staring down at her.

He grabbed the arm of her chair and swung it around to face him, firmly planting his lips on Kagome's. Kagome instantly moulded her body against his, her arms wrapping around his neck. Inuyasha straightened his back, pulling Kagome into his arms as he lifted her into the air. They both silently cursed their weakness for each other, the need to be intimate.

Inuyasha broke the kiss first and pressed his forehead against Kagome's. They hadn't deepened the kiss in anyway, it had simply been mouths pressed against one another, but even that was enough to take their breath away.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." Inuyasha said. "I just don't understand why I need…"

His voice trailed off as Kagome's lips pressed against his throat in a wet open mouth kiss. Inuyasha stumbled slightly as all his blood seemed to rush straight down to his groin, making him instantly hard.

"Take me to bed, Inuyasha." Kagome said against his neck.

Inuyasha groaned. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Don't think." Kagome said, using the fact that he still had her lifted in his arms to wrap her legs around his waist. She arched into him and pulled his head down, kissing him deeply. Inuyasha moaned into her mouth, giving Kagome the chance to taste him thoroughly.

"Just feel." Inuyasha agreed.

He unhooked Kagome's legs and let her drop to the floor. Taking her hand he led her over to his bedroom, clicking on the lamp on his bedside table. Kagome glanced around the room, taking in the massive bed that sat on the floor in the middle.

"Satin sheets?" She teased as he stepped closer to her, looking every bit the predator that she knew he was.

"They keep me cool." He said, his hand going for her blouse.

"You rip this I will kill you." She told him with a playful glare thinking of all the clothing she had to throw out due to his claws and frustration.

"I know, I know." He muttered against the skin of her throat.

He undid the buttons and tossed the blouse into a random corner, her skirt quickly following. Kagome's hands fisted in his t-shirt and pulled it over his head, running her hands up and down his chest. Inuyasha's hands went to his own pants and he quickly undid them and kicked them off.

He all but tackled Kagome against the bed, as she trailed her hand over the rosary still around his neck. "You're still wearing this?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

Kagome didn't answer him, not wanting to think of the reason why she wasn't doing this every night. Why she was living with his brother instead of here with him. She wanted to lose herself in the sensation of being with Inuyasha.

* * *

He was breathing heavily, making Kagome giggle slightly. "Did the big bad Youkai wear himself out?" She teased.

"Quiet wench." Inuyasha said, sitting up, trying to cool down his body.

Kagome grinned and threw her arm over his hips. "So much for satin keeping you cool."

Inuyasha stared down at Kagome as she drifted to sleep. He knew things were far from perfect. He wasn't about to delude himself and tell himself that things were fine now and they could go back to being the way they were. He knew that this was only a moment of need for her, and he was more than willing to take what he could get.

* * *

**AN: So I know a few people are going to think that this came up a little to soon, so I'll explain. No, things aren't better for the two of them. This was just sex basically, something that they both needed to get out of their system. I know of a few relationships where stuff like this happens. The origin of the email will come out in the next chapter. I really want to get that out of the way.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of** **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	6. Chapter 6

Kagome awoke sometime later, she couldn't tell what time of day it was since the curtains on Inuyasha's window were drawn and she couldn't make out what his alarm clock said. It took some creative wiggling and flexibility that she didn't know she possessed to get out from under Inuyasha's arm and off the bed.

She silently berated herself and cursed her stupidity as she snuck around collecting her clothing, stopping only to admire the fact that Inuyasha had managed to throw each article of clothing into a different corner. She glared in the direction of the bed when her bra fell off after she did it up. She felt the material in the darkness and realized that he had ripped it off of her.

_No wonder I didn't realize he had taken it off._ She thought bitterly as she did the buttons of her shirt up. She slipped out of the bedroom and made her way through the loft towards the front door. She caught sight of his computer and briefly thought about hacking into it to find the damn email that everyone kept talking about.

_There's no time. He's going to realize very quickly that you're not there anymore and he's going to get up to come looking for you._ She said to herself, moving quickly towards her shoes. She scooped them up in her hand and stepped outside the apartment.

She heard Shippou's giggles coming from the area of the elevator and she quickly moved to the stairs. She ran down the stairs, knowing that if Shippou caught her scent he'd definitely come looking for her. She stepped out the door and all but slammed into Sesshomaru.

"Damn it." Kagome muttered, feeling like a teenager being caught after just making out with her boyfriend while being grounded.

"I take it you had fun?" Sesshomaru smirked.

Kagome glared at the Inu-Youkai, knowing he could smell Inuyasha on her. "Not a word Sesshomaru."

* * *

Inuyasha awoke and knew instantly that Kagome wasn't beside him anymore. "Kagome?" He called into the darkness of the room, more out of habit then anything. Her scent told him that she had left the room, and it hadn't been that long ago.

His ears twitched as he tried to catch the sound of her movement. He swore loudly as he heard the loft door slide closed. He grabbed his pants from where they were lying on the floor and quickly pulled them on, yelping when he nearly caught himself in his fly.

He stumbled out of his room and nearly collided with Shippou who had been on his way to see his adoptive father. "Hey Inuyasha, was Kagome here? I can smell her." Shippou said.

"Uh yeah, she came by for a visit." Inuyasha said, rubbing the back of his head.

He stepped past the kit on the way to the door, turning at the sound of the low whistle. "From the looks of those welts on your back it must have been one hell of a visit."

Inuyasha's mouth dropped open in shock. Sometimes he forgot that Shippou was a lot older than he looked. He reached over and thumped the kit on his head, making the kit whine. "Did you see her in the hall?"

Shippou stopped rubbing his head and glared at Inuyasha. "No, why?"

"Damn it, I need to talk to her and she just took off."

"So why don't you just go over to Sesshomaru's house?" Shippou asked.

Inuyasha crossed his arms and looked at Shippou with a questioning look. "Why would I go there?"

Shippou's eyes grew wide and he licked his lips nervously. "Oh wow, look at the time, I should really get to bed. I gotta get up early for school tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's Saturday, Shippou." Inuyasha said.

"Uh, yeah, I know. I forgot that we're having a special class tomorrow!"

Inuyasha dove at the kit and snatched him up by the tail. "Spill it." He said calmly.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Shippou said innocently.

"You suck at lying." Inuyasha told him. "Now tell me what the hell is going on."

"You know if it weren't for the fact that you were a complete dumb ass and started dating Ayame, you wouldn't have to ask me what was going on!" Shippou snapped. "You also wouldn't have to wonder why Kagome's living with Sesshomaru!"

A loud growl tore from Inuyasha's throat. Normally Shippou would have cringed away in fear, but he was feeling more than a little defiant thanks to his little outburst. "She's _what!"

* * *

_

Kagome could hear Sesshomaru talking to someone in his study as she moved towards it. She had just spent the better part of an hour taking a hot shower, mentally screaming at herself for showing that kind of weakness. She paced around outside his office until she heard him hang up his phone and leaned against the doorframe.

"And why do you look so smug?"

"Because my idiot brother just realized that his mate is living here." Sesshomaru told her, a cocky smirk gracing his features.

Kagome visibly flinched at the word "mate". Sesshomaru studied her as the color drained from her face. He watched her hand raise and she touched her mate mark. Ever since she had returned home it had tingled non-stop. She blamed it on after shocks of their activities a few hours before.

"Kagome," Sesshomaru's voice broke through her thoughts. "I want you to tell me exactly what's going on."

Kagome sighed heavily and crossed the room to the large bay window. "How can I tell you what's going on when I don't know that myself."

"What do you mean?"

"When I was in America I thought about him every day. I was hospitalized five times my first semester for exhaustion. I couldn't sleep because I missed him that much. It really scared me that I felt something that powerful."

"He felt the same way." Sesshomaru told her. "Shippou said that there were days on end where he would just sit and stare at pictures of you."

"If he truly felt that way then why did he start dating Ayame?" Kagome said softly.

"Well that email that he got from you probably made him think that you wanted out of the mating bond." Sesshomaru explained.

"What the hell is this email everyone keeps going on about?" Kagome demanded. "Don't you think that if I wanted out of our god damned bond I would have told him face to face!"

"That's what I thought too, until I made him show me the email."

"I thought no one saw that email."

"I do have certain persuasion over my brother."

"So in other words you beat the shit out of him in order to read it." Sesshomaru nodded, a proud smile on his face. "And what did it say?"

"It mentioned that you had started dating someone named Brandon."

Sesshomaru physically moved his chair back when he saw the look of anger cross her features. "That mother _fucker_!" She exclaimed.

"What?" Sesshomaru asked. "Who is he?"

"Brandon was in my World War II history class in my third year." Kagome explained. "We were friends, but I knew he always wanted more."

"Did you tell him about Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Of course I did!" Kagome snapped. "He knew I was involved with someone."

Sesshomaru cocked an eyebrow. "Involved?"

"Sess, in America, Youkai have to use concealment spells. Hell I had to cast one over all of the pictures in my apartment to hide certain features on some of the people in the pictures. I told everyone that I was engaged to explain why I never dated. I even went out and bought myself a goddamned ring." Kagome told him. "How else was I supposed to explain it when hardly anyone there believed in demons?"

"So he never took the hint?" Sesshomaru asked.

"No, he always seemed to think that I would change my mind and call off my engagement."

"How did you explain the mate mark?"

"Well, Youkai and Hanyou knew what it was. Everyone else thought I was this radical, out of control teenager who got her boyfriend's name tattooed onto the base of her neck." Kagome told him. "How the hell did Inuyasha get an email like that."

Sesshomaru scratched his chin in thought. "Maybe Brandon hacked into your account and sent that email hoping that Inuyasha would call of your 'engagement'."

"I guess. It's the only thing that really makes any sense." Kagome said with a sigh.

Sesshomaru stood and walked over to where Kagome was standing. He brushed her hair away so that he could look at her mark. His eyes widened when he realized the mark had faded from black to a medium grey.

"Have you been feeling anything strange around your mark?" He asked.

"It's been tingling since I got home from Inuyasha's, why?"

Sesshomaru bit his lip, wondering if he should tell her. "It's fading." He told her. Nothing her blank stare, Sesshomaru sighed. "That means that while you two were, well you know, he released you from your bond."

Kagome's eyes widened and tears formed in her eyes. She pushed away from Sesshomaru and ran from the room. The Youkai followed her and winced at the sound of her retching. He entered the bathroom and rubbed her back soothingly.

"What am I going to do?" Kagome asked him.

"You have two choices. Either you forget about him and move on with your life, or you make him want you back."

The two of them jumped at the sound of a door slamming open and Jaken screeching. "You can't come barging in here like this you ungrateful…"

"Save it!" Inuyasha growled kicking the imp out of the way. "Kagome!"

Sesshomaru saw the flash of anger on Kagome's face and quirked an eyebrow at her. "Well I do have one other option." Kagome hissed through clenched teeth.

"What's that?"

"Castrate him."

Sesshomaru briefly wondered if he should stop Kagome from causing Inuyasha serious bodily injury. That thought was quickly buried at the thought of how much Inuyasha deserved this, and how entertaining it would be to watch Kagome put him in his place. Sesshomaru quickly jumped to his feet and followed Kagome.

"You!" Inuyasha shouted as Kagome came into view. "You are coming with me right _now_!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes! No mate of mine is staying here with _him_." Inuyasha said, motioning to his older brother.

"Mate?" Kagome snorted. "Oh, that's rich. You really are a complete fucking _moron_!"

Inuyasha was surprised by that. "Excuse me?"

"You believed a God damned email without talking to me first?" Kagome shouted. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Inuyasha took a step back, but his own anger was rising. His mate was pissed off sure, but there was no reason for lashing out at him. His Youkai and his pride wouldn't stand for it. "What the fuck is wrong with me? You're the one who sent me an electronic _Dear John_ letter!"

Kagome stormed up to him and Sesshomaru suddenly wished he had a video camera. "Yeah, and why in the hell would you believe it? Don't you think if I was going to break up with you I'd do it in person! I do have more class than that you moron!"

"Well how the hell was I supposed to know? I hadn't talked to you in two weeks!"

"I was writing finals and working!" Kagome snapped. "And why the hell didn't you act any differently when I did talk to you after that?"

"Because _you _asked me not to!" Inuyasha said.

"And that didn't seem slightly odd to you?" Sesshomaru asked, not being able to withhold his two cents any longer.

"Stay out of this Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha and Kagome snapped.

"Wait he's got a point." Kagome said, causing a smirk to cross Sesshomaru's face as he leaned against the wall. "You didn't find that odd?"

"I didn't know what to think Kagome. My _mate_ had just told me she was leaving me for some guy and told me that she didn't want this to affect our God damned friendship. That I was her best friend and she didn't want to lose that!" Inuyasha ran a hand through his hair. "If that doesn't sound like something you would say I don't know what is."

"You could have asked me about it!" Kagome said. "You could have at least waited until I got home, you would have smelt him on me if I had left you for him!"

"I didn't know what I was doing Kagome." Inuyasha said softly. "I was in so much pain!"

Kagome never replied to that, she was too busy going over in her mind everything she had told Brandon about Inuyasha. She had told him how they were childhood friends and had even admitted that if she ever lost his love, she'd at least want his friendship. "Figures, the first time a male actually listens and he put it to that kind of use." She muttered. "I'm going to _kill _him!"

"Whatever, now we know what's going on. I'll phone Ayame and break up with her and you can move into the loft with me."

Kagome's eyes flew to Inuyasha's and Sesshomaru caught the scent of fear radiating off his brother from the look. "Wait a minute. You and I had sex and you're still dating her."

Inuyasha bit his lip nervously. "Um, it's not quite like you think. I haven't talked to her for a while so I haven't had time to break it off."

Kagome's eyes fluttered closed and she took a deep breath. "Fuck you, Inuyasha." She said so quietly he had to strain to hear her.

"What?"

"_Fuck_ you!" She screamed at him.

Sesshomaru winced and silently prayed that Rin wasn't listening to this, he really didn't want to have to explain why it was okay for Kagome to be screaming those words. "Too late darling." Inuyasha snapped back.

Kagome's breath hitched in her throat and she closed the remaining distance between them. She brought her hand back and slapped Inuyasha so hard that Sesshomaru's face hurt in sympathy for his brother.

"You disgust me. You two timing asshole!" Kagome said to him in a low voice laced with hate.

"You mated me." Inuyasha whispered.

"Yeah well I guess we don't have to worry about that now do we?" Kagome said, her voice shaking with unshed tears.

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the large mirror that stood in the hallway. She grabbed the hem of his shirt and raised it to reveal his mark, or what was left of it. Inuyasha stared in horror as the remaining color disappeared and his skin was left completely unblemished. He desperately wanted to brush Kagome's hair aside to convince himself that he was just seeing things...that hers was still there.

"We aren't mates anymore Inuyasha, so I guess we have nothing left to worry about." That said, Kagome spun on her heel and ran for her room, the scent of her tears lingering in the air.

Inuyasha turned his confused expression to his older brother. "I don't understand, what's happening?" He pleaded with his brother.

"It would seem that your Youkai released Kagome from the bond while you two were making love earlier." Sesshomaru told his brother. "You two are no longer mates."

Sesshomaru watched his younger brother fall to his knees, a sob ripping from his throat. "What do I do?" Inuyasha pleaded.

Sesshomaru sighed and went to kneel beside his younger brother. "I don't know little brother, I honestly don't know."

* * *

**AN: THERE! YOU CAN ALL STOP HARASSING ME ABOUT THE EMAIL! Hehehe. Now we can all sit back and watch Inuyasha grovel. I originally wanted Kagome to talk to Inuyasha about the email before she went to talk to Sesshomaru, but then I watched episode 55: Stone Flowers and Shippou's first love, and I had to put in a mini Shippou/Inuyasha argument in there, I couldn't resist.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of** **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	7. Chapter 7

Kagome's head was pounding as she reached for the coffee pot. She hadn't thought it was possible for that many tears to come out of a person's body. Everything hurt and her eyes wouldn't focus properly.

She had found a note taped to her door, but she crumpled it up without reading it. She sipped her coffee and walked out to the large garden, hoping the flowers would bring her the peace that she desperately sought.

"I figured you would come out here eventually." Sango's voice rang out, mixing with the sound of the breeze rustling among the leaves, and the birds singing their morning songs. "I taped a note to your door letting you know I was here, but I thought you might not read it."

"I thought it was from Inuyasha." Kagome admitted. "What are you doing here?"

"I called over earlier and Sesshomaru answered your phone. The guy sounded like a wreck so I asked him what happened. Unfortunately for him, he didn't tell me."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Oh lord, what did you do?"

"I didn't _hurt_ him per say." Sango insisted upon seeing the look on Kagome's face. "But he might be missing a few chunks of hair, and his hearing in his left ear might be shot for the next few days."

Kagome shook her head, fighting her laughter at the mental image of Sango holding Sesshomaru by the hair while she yelled at him. "Oh poor Sesshomaru."

Sango scoffed. "Yeah right, Mr. Almighty Tai-Youkai has had it coming for years." She told Kagome. "So, how are you?"

Kagome shrugged as tears filled her eyes. "I didn't think it was possible to hurt this much." She sobbed as Sango pulled her in for a hug. "I'm surprised that you're not over at Inuyasha's tearing him a new one."

"Oh, believe me; he's next on my people to maim list." Sango told her. "But I wanted to make sure that you were okay first."

"I'm not going to throw myself off the roof or anything." Kagome told her. "But I think it'll be awhile before I consider myself to be _okay_."

Sango nodded. "That's understandable. Look, I've got some shit to take care of, but I'll come by later and we can do dinner or something."

Kagome smiled weakly at her friend. "Remember, maim him, don't kill him."

Sango grinned. "I'll try my hardest. If you need anything, call Miroku."

* * *

Inuyasha was sitting at his desk typing an email to his secretary when his loft door flew open. He glanced up, expecting to see Shippou, apologizing for slamming the door again. Instead he was met with a _very_ pissed off Sango. 

"Oh, shit."

Sango didn't even crack a smile as she slid the door closed behind her and began to advance on him. Inuyasha started to stand, to at least keep some distance between him and the angry woman.

"If you know what's good for you, you will remain seated." She said coolly.

Inuyasha's buttwas instantlyplanted back in the seat and he gripped the armrests carefully. "Hi."

Sango stopped in front of his chair, her arms crossing over her chest. "It won't work this time." She told him, glaring down at him. "I assume you know why I'm here."

"Because of Kagome." He answered softly.

"Yes, that's right." Sango said. "And to find out exactly what in your God damned mind you were thinking all this time."

Inuyasha bit his lip nervously. "It's the damn e-mail's fault."

"Oh yes, the email. Sesshomaru informed me about that little tid bit."

"And?"

Inuyasha's chair almost flipped over from the force of Sango's slap. He found himself wondering how Miroku's managed to stay standing after one of her slaps. "And if it weren't for the fact that I promised Kagome not to kill you I'd tear you limb from limb for your stupidity!"

Inuyasha's eyes dropped, but it didn't stop Sango's tirade.

"I mean you've known Kagome since we were little, and yet you think she would sink so low as to not only cheat on you but to take the cowards way out and dump you over an email?" By this point Sango's nose was practically touching Inuyasha's.

She took a step back when Inuyasha's golden eyes rose to meet hers. She was shocked not only to see the tears brimming in them, but also to see that they were slowly bleeding red. It was strange to see him becoming full Youkai while displaying such a human emotion.

"Why is it all of you are yelling at me for this?" He growled. "I'm hurting too!"

Sango bit her lip and looked away, completely ashamed of herself. "Oh, Inuyasha."

"I lost my fucking mate too, but all you people are concerned about is Kagome! You're supposed to be my friends and you all yell at me! My own mother isn't speaking to me because of this." Inuyasha said, as Sango crept closer. "I was stupid, I get it. But I was hurting so much because I thought that she left me! I was _dying_!"

Sango knelt down in front of him and grasped his chin gently. "You're right, I'msorry. I forget sometimes that you feel these things too. Kagome is human so it's so much easier for us to feel sorry for her because she appears more fragile."

Inuyasha let Sango pull him to her and he sobbed into her shoulder. "I want her back." He said so softly that Sango almost didn't hear him. "I might die without her."

Sango bit her lip, thinking about the truth in Inuyasha's words. Even though he had released her from the mating bond, he could still die without his mate beside him. "Inuyasha, how did you release the bond?"

"I don't know." He said, clinging to her more desperately. "I even asked Sesshomaru, but he couldn't tell me. I thought that maybe he was just being an ass and protecting her until I realized that he didn't know."

"Well what were you two doing at the time?"

"Making love." That caught Sango off guard. He had said it so softly, as if it were the most precious thing to him in the world. She felt tears spring to her eyes. "I don't know how it happened, but after our marks started to disappear."

"Have you asked the parasite about it?" Sango said, brushing Inuyasha's hair away from his face.

"I already told you that Sesshomaru knew nothing."

Sango rolled her eyes and smacked his head gently. "Wrong parasite." She whispered. "Call Myouga and tell him what happened. If anyone will be able to answer your questions it's him."

"And then what?" Inuyasha asked, finally pulling away from her.

"Then we can work on getting you and Kagome back together." Sango told him.

"You think that'll ever happen?" Inuyasha asked softly.

"It'll take a while, but I know how persistent you can be." Sango told him, giving one of his ears a scratch. "We just have to get Kagome to remember why she fell for you."

* * *

**AN: ****Now, I know this isn't a very long chapter, but I was re-reading what I wrote originally, and it was crap. I was originally going to put Inuyasha's conversation with Myouga in here, but I'm not completely happy with it. ****Now I don't want any complaints about Inuyasha's OOCness. I've been concentrating on only Kagome's emotions up until now. Like Sango said, it's easier to feel sympathy with Kagome because she does appear more fragile. But, Inuyasha is suffering too, I kind of forgot about that. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of** **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	8. Chapter 8

Inuyasha dragged his feet as he wandered to Sesshomaru's office. He hadn't been able to catch the scent of Kagome when he entered and he was mildly thankful for that. It had been well over a month since their bond had been released, and he had managed to avoid being at his brother's house whenever she was home. He could only assume that he had Sesshomaru to thank for that one.

He didn't bother to knock, opting instead to throw the door open. Sesshomaru looked up from his file, a bored expression on your face. "I was hoping that being mated to Kagome would have taught you better manners."

Inuyasha glared at his brother. "You mind telling me why the hell I'm here?"

"Well Myouga is finally back in town." Sesshomaru told him. "But if you would prefer not to find out what happened, then leave."

Inuyasha had called Sesshomaru after Sango left his Loft. He asked his brother to arrange a meeting with the old flea Youkai. Unfortunately, Myouga had a tendency to disappear when he was needed most. It took awhile for Sesshomaru to track him down.

Sesshomaru turned his attention back to his file, indicating that Myouga had yet to make an appearance in the house. Inuyasha sighed and sat down in a chair, steepling his fingers. After a couple hours of watching his brother read over a file, type up a memo and even half listening to a phone call to an investor, Inuyasha had had enough.

"Fuck this; if the old parasite can't be bothered to show up then I'm not staying!"

Sesshomaru's loud and threatening growl was interrupted by the sound of Inuyasha slapping his neck. Inuyasha stared at his hand before picking Myouga up in his claws. He returned to Sesshomaru's desk and glared at his older brother as he tossed the old flea down.

"You knew he was there, didn't you?"

Sesshomaru smirked at his brother. "I was hoping that your ignorance ended when you unknowingly released your mate from your mating bond."

"Master Inuyasha did what?" Myouga's shrill shout cut off the growl that was threatening to leave Inuyasha's throat.

"Apparently my half wit brother released his mate from their bond." Sesshomaru told the small Youkai.

Myouga hopped from the desk to Inuyasha's chest, ducking into the Hanyou's shirt. "Lord Sesshomaru, where is Lady Kagome?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha said looking up, hoping he sounded as casual as he tried to be. "Where is Kagome?"

"She's out." Sesshomaru told him nonchalantly.

"Well, where did she go?"

Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow in his brother's direction. "I don't see how that is any of your concern."

Inuyasha growled and jumped to his feet. "It's my damn concern, because she's my fucking mate."

Sesshomaru's anger finally flared and he jumped to his feet. "Not any more she's not!" Sesshomaru snarled. "You gave up all rights on knowing where she is when you released her from your mating bond. The only mark she carries now is my personal mark, just as Rin does."

"You marked my _mate_?" Inuyasha shouted.

"I gave your _ex_-mate a protection mark." Sesshomaru yelled; the two brothers were now practically nose to nose. "You should be grateful that I love the wench like a sister, or else I never would have bestowed a protection mark on her!"

Myouga looked at the two brothers nervously, wondering if they would have a full out fight. "Forgive me for whipping a dead horse my Lord, but where did the lady go to."

Sesshomaru stepped back from his brother with a smirk. "She is out on a date." Inuyasha let loose a string of curses that would have made a sailor blush. "I believe his name is Hojo and that he is an old school friend. Apparently Sango and Kagome saw him while they were shopping."

Inuyasha stormed from the office. At the moment he was too pissed off to find out how he had released her. Sesshomaru let his brother go and returned to his seat. He noticed the old flea eyeing him and caught him quickly in his claws.

"You bite me and I will kill you slowly." Sesshomaru threatened. "Now tell me how he released her."

"Forgive me my lord, but why does this interest you so much?" Myouga asked.

"Because as much as I may have had certain distaste for my brother in the past, Kagome changed my opinion. That woman wormed her way into my heart when she was a child and I will protect her from pain at all costs.

"Unfortunately, killing my younger brother is not an option because for one Kagome would become more upset, since she is still in love with that idiot, and for two, my step mother would tan my hide." Sesshomaru told the Youkai. "Besides, I'm curious as to how he did this."

Myouga studied the Inu-Youkai carefully. "It would be easier for me to tell you, if I knew what was going on when the bond was released." Myouga was slightly taken aback by the blush that crossed the Lord's face. "Were they in the process of mating?"

"Yes." Sesshomaru confirmed.

"Well then his Youkai did it the simple way." Myouga sighed at the confused look on Sesshomaru's face. "I don't doubt that your father explained that there is a spell that can release a mating bond."

"Yes, but he told me that it's complicated and both parties have to be involved and it takes a lunar cycle." Sesshomaru said. "But Kagome hadn't known what happened until I told her that her mark had faded. I don't even think that it could be actually be done until Kohana told her about it."

"But I heard Lady Kagome refer to a release of the bond a few times after she and Master Inuyasha were mated." Myouga said.

"She was joking around, she never knew it could actually be done." Sesshomaru told him. "But what did you mean that his Youkai did it the simple way?"

"It's quite simple. While Master Inuyasha and Lady Kagome were making love, his Youkai recognized the sadness within his mate, and quite possibly some inner longing on Kagome's part to be released from that pain." Myouga explained.

Sesshomaru shook his head. "I'm not following, why would his Youkai choose that moment to release her?"

"Because his emotions are heightened and it brings his Youkai blood to the surface. Because of this, his Youkai is more aware of what is happening around him, he would become more in touch with his mates feelings, even if she herself didn't know what she was feeling at the time."

Sesshomaru nodded, understanding finally donning on him. Before he could respond to the information, Kagome's scent hit him, telling him that she was home. "You better leave." He growled to Myouga.

The flea nodded and bounced out the open window just as Kagome opened the door to the study and flung herself into a chair with an exhausted sigh. "Hi."

Sesshomaru smiled and climbed to his feet. He walked around to her side and rubbed her aching shoulders. "How was your outing?"

Kagome sighed and rolled her neck. "Remind me never to take Shippou and Rin to the movies and the arcade again. It's hard enough to watch just one of them."

Sesshomaru laughed. "Where are they? I didn't catch their scents when you came in."

"Kohana asked me to drop them off at her place. She wants them to help her with something." Kagome told him.

Sesshomaru nodded. "Why don't you go take a hot bath and lie down. I'll order a pizza or something for dinner."

Kagome smiled. "The great Sesshomaru is eating something as common as pizza?"

"This Sesshomaru likes the occasional pizza."

Kagome snickered as she stood. "Well this Kagome is going to take you up on your suggestion." She was just about at the door when she turned back to face him. "One more thing, you don't have to wait until I'm out of the house to have Inuyasha over, he's your brother after all."

"You knew he was here?"

Kagome nodded. "Even if Kohana hadn't told me, or if I hadn't seen his car leaving here, I would have sensed his presence. I have every time he's been here."

Sesshomaru watched Kagome leave and for the first time he realized how deep the connection between Inuyasha and Kagome really was. It also surprised him that the two of them were still alive. Mates with such a deep connection often didn't live if separated for a few days, let alone the amount of time that Inuyasha and Kagome had spent apart.

He left his office to go find a pamphlet for a pizza place, making a mental note to question Myouga on that the next time they spoke to each other.

* * *

**AN: I know, this chapter is short, but I just had the idea come to me. ****Those of you who thought that we were just getting through the drama, well there's new drama coming, but it's not really bad drama. **

**I just started a new job so it may be a couple days between updates until I get used to my new schedule.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of** **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	9. Chapter 9

Inuyasha growled and pressed down on the gas harder. The thought of Kagome out with a male that wasn't him made his blood boil. He definitely remembered Hojo from school. The guy had a crush on Kagome since fourth grade and it had become almost borderline obsession. Of course their friends Yuka and Eri could be blamed for that.

When Kagome had broken up with Kouga, the two girls had all but forced Hojo on her. Luckily, Kagome politely turned him down. Inuyasha knew that it was because she found him too tame and boring.

He found himself wondering if maybe she was looking for that. She had already dated a Youkai and mated a Hanyou; maybe she wanted someone tamer.

He passed Kagome as he pulled onto the main road that led away from the estate. He was glad to see that she was alone in her car, but that hadn't calmed his Youkai. In fact, he briefly considered turning around and going back to Sesshomaru's. One good sniff would tell him everything. And probably get him slapped or worse in the process.

Unfortunately with Kagome bearing a mark of protection from Sesshomaru, if she panicked in the least it would summon his big brother over and Sesshomaru had every right to maim him. Even though he doubted Sesshomaru would hurt him, the mark combined with whatever it was that protected her both the day on the playground when they shared their first kiss and the day he attacked her in his room when his Youkai blood took over, it could do some serious harm to him.

With another growl he pressed his foot down, making the car accelerate more. The speed was making him feel better and the sunset was having an odd calming affect on him.

He pulled into the opposite lane to pass and he felt the first pulse of his aura. He quickly realized why. It was the beginning of the lunar month and his Youkai blood was receding. He was becoming human and he needed to get home as soon as possible.

A horn blaring snapped his attention back to what he should have been doing. Without his Hanyou reflexes, his mind froze in panic. He twisted the wheel at the last second. The last thing that he heard was the squeal of tires and the crunch of metal before everything went dark.

* * *

_"Kid's got no id on him…"_

_"Think he's drunk?"_

_"Maybe we should let the hospital know…medicine could harm him…"_

_"He ain't Youkai or Hanyou…looks too human…"_

_"Who do we contact then?"_

_"Kid's got a cell phone, pick a number and call it…"_

_"Kagome…the wife and I just named our first daughter that…"

* * *

_

Kagome had just fallen asleep when her cell phone rang. Grumbling, she climbed out of bed and made her way over to her purse. She frowned when she noticed that the ID was blocked and briefly considered not answering. Against her better judgement she pressed the send button.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Kagome?" A male voice that she didn't recognize asked.

"Yes, I'm Kagome. Who is this and how did you get my number?"

"This is Sergeant Hiro, we responded to a motor vehicle accident and your number was on the driver's cell phone." The man told her.

Kagome instantly paled and she pressed a hand to her chest, a feeling of dread over coming her. "Is it Inuyasha?"

"We're not sure. He didn't have any identification on him, but he has long black hair." Kagome let out a strangled sob and fell to her knees. "He's been taken to Tokyo General Hospital."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Are they aware that he's a Hanyou?" The Sergeants muttered curse told her that they didn't know. "Listen, you need to get a hold of the hospital and tell them that he's in his human form. I'll be there as soon as possible."

Kagome didn't wait for a response as she hung up and ran from her room. She moved swiftly through the halls and pounded on Sesshomaru's bedroom door. The Youkai opened it, hair dishevelled and clad only in a pair of pyjama pants. Normally Kagome would have teased him since they were covered in small white dogs, a Christmas present from Rin a few years earlier.

"What is it?" Sesshomaru asked, stifling a yawn.

"We have to get to Tokyo General." Kagome said frantically. "Inuyasha was in a car accident and they don't know that he's a Hanyou."

Sesshomaru swore loudly and disappeared to grab a shirt. He reappeared and the two of them moved quickly down to the garage. Kagome was already on the phone to Kohana, then Sango as they climbed into the black Sedan.

For the first time in two centuries, Sesshomaru cursed modern medicine. While it had come a long way, there were many medicines that were deadly to Youkai. With the hospital not knowing that Inuyasha was a Hanyou, they could kill him, or even make him human permanently.

"That idiot, what was he thinking going out without having his identification on him?" Sesshomaru growled, hitting the steering wheel.

Kagome didn't answer; instead she stared out the window, praying to every holy entity that Inuyasha was alright. Sesshomaru barely got the car parked when Kagome leapt out of the car. She made her way straight to the triage nurse, explaining the situation.

"Yes, Sergeant Hiro got a hold of us, but he is still being looked at by the doctors so we cannot let anyone but immediate family in to see him." The nurse told her.

"I'm here with his half brother and I am the mate of the man back there!" Kagome said.

"Prove it." The nurse said.

Kagome swore and pushed away from the counter. She stormed passed Sesshomaru and stalked outside. She paced around like a caged animal, shoving the Youkai away when he tried to stop her.

"Kagome calm down."

"No!" She shouted, tears streaming down her face. "Your idiot brother is in there, possibly dying and I can't see himbecause he released that stupid bond!"

"Kagome, he did it because of you." Sesshomaru said.

"What are you talking about?"

Sesshomaru sighed and led her back inside, sitting her down in a chair and taking her hand. "When you two were…involved in that particular activity…his Youkai became more aware of its surroundings, including the feelings felt by its mate. His Youkai sensed the sadness in you and because it didn't want to cause you anymore pain, it released you from the bond."

"It's all my fault then." Kagome muttered. "If I hadn't gone to school, if I had just stayed here then none of this would have happened!"

"No, it's not your fault. I have a feeling you two are being tested." Sesshomaru said. "Or else you wronged someone in a past life; I've never seen two people with the worst luck."

Kagome let out a sound that was half way between a laugh and a sob. Sesshomaru rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb as they resigned themselves to waiting to hear some news on Inuyasha.

Kohana arrived a few minutes later and Kagome ran to her. "They won't let me see him." She sobbed.

Sesshomaru winced at the angry look that crossed his step mother's face and he began to feel sorry for the nurse who had refused to let Kagome see Inuyasha. "Oh, we'll see about that."

Kohana walked over to the nurse's station as Sango and Miroku arrived. Sango hugged her friend, before walking over to Sesshomaru to find out what was happening. Miroku wrapped his arms around Kagome as she sobbed into his chest. He looked over at Sesshomaru, his eyebrow twitching in amusement at the sight of the Youkai's pyjamas.

"Sesshomaru," Miroku called. "You do know that you're wearing pyjama pants with little dogs on them right?"

Sesshomaru growled and bared his teeth at Miroku and was about to say something when Kohana came back. "Come on Kagome, you're coming back there with me."

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of** **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	10. Chapter 10

Kagome and Kohana were led through the doors of the emergency room. The two women shuffled up to the side of Inuyasha's bed. Kagome gasped and pressed her hands to her mouth. His face was bandaged in several places, indicating that his cuts were deep. His left arm was in a cast and a portion of his black hair was shaved away, revealing a stitched gash.

"Stitches," Kagome muttered to herself. She rounded on the doctor who had just joined them. "Why the fuck is there stitches in his head?"

"We needed to close the wound; it was too deep to be left onits own." The doctor said.

"He's a Hanyou; it would have closed on its own."

The doctor shuffled his feet nervously. "We treated him before we fully knew his condition."

"You mean you treated my son without following any kind of procedure to see if he was a Hanyou?" Kohana snarled.

"We didn't think there was a need to. He looks human; usually Hanyou's have some kind of mark identifying them. Most of them have some sort of crests or marks left on them." He said. "Or at least carry the proper documentation on them."

"So because my son forgets his wallet at home, that means he couldn't possibly be a Hanyou?" Kohana snapped. "The reason why he doesn't have any crests or marks on him is because in his Hanyou form all he has to identify him as such are dog ears that sit on top of his head. If his crests were visible you would be in a lot more trouble!"

Kagome moved to Inuyasha's side and stroked his forehead. "By law you are required to do the standard tests on anyone who comes in without the proper identification so that you can avoid doing further damage to the patient." Kagome said in a voice that was surprisingly calm. "You have miko's and monks on hand to do that procedure. A simple wave of a specialized Ofuda would have done just that."

"And what makes you so _sure _that would work?" The doctor sneered.

"Because I had to do several rounds during my practicum in youth counselling, one of them in the ER." Kagome told him. "We had several people come in without proper identification and the procedure with the Ofuda prevented misdiagnosis and mistreatment."

The doctor snorted and picked up the patient chart. "Well, fortunately, the police officer got in contact with us in time before we treated him with too much medication that is harmful to Youkai. Unfortunately, we still administered enough that will keep him in human form for awhile, hence the stitches." He flipped the chart to the first page and pulled out a pen. "Now, can I please have some information on the patient, starting with his name?"

"Inuyasha Tashio." Kohana said a smirk crossing over her features.

Kagome struggled not to smile as she swore she heard "Oh Shit" come from the doctor's direction. She let Kohana hash it out with the doctor and leaned forward to nuzzle Inuyasha's cheek.

"Come on Inuyasha, you need to wake up, you need to come back to me."

* * *

Inuyasha was wandering around in sea of inky black darkness. He couldn't get any sense of where he was going, his senses were still dulled. He continued walking forward, trying to follow the muffled voices talking somewhere around him. 

He didn't see the little girl sitting and playing with the stuffed white dog; in fact he tripped over her leg and fell. The little girl grinned at him. _What happened to mister smooth, who never fell over?_

Inuyasha had to do a double take. The voice was too old for the child, and her smile hadn't changed. In fact, he was positive that her lips hadn't moved at all. "Who are you?"

The girl continued to smile as she climbed to her feet. The scent of Jasmine and Honeysuckle became almost overpowering to his senses. _Come on Inuyasha, you need to wake up; you need to come back to me._

The girl turned around and walked away. "Wait, who are you!" He screamed, chasing after the girl only to lose her in the darkness.

* * *

Kagome sat in Inuyasha's room quietly reading a book. From time to time she would look up to check on Inuyasha or to help Shippou with a math problem. He had been in the hospital for over a month and was still in his drug induced coma. The side effects of being treated with human medicines were starting to wear off; unfortunately, it made him look a little strange. 

His raven hair had two rather large chunks of white in the front. When they first saw it Shippou pulled out a comic book and pointed to a picture of one of the female characters. They chuckled over the similarities in the hair color. His ears had also shifted slightly higher on his head and grown slightly more triangular.

He had been moved into a private room about two weeks after he had arrived at the hospital and his doctor had been switched to a Rabbit Youkai named Akio. He had assured them that this was not the first time he had to treat a Hanyou that hadn't been identified properly.

Kagome rolled her neck trying to fight the cramp that was threatening to give her a headache. She glanced at Inuyasha again and jumped to her feet to see him staring back at her.

"Oh my God." She whispered. "Shippou, quick go get a nurse!"

Shippou glanced up at Kagome then Inuyasha, before leaping to his feet. "He's awake…" He said quietly. "He's awake!"

Kagome smiled as Shippou screamed those words over and over as he ran from the room to get a nurse. Kagome reached down and brushed a few stray hairs from his forehead. "Hey you."

Inuyasha stared at her intently. He knew that voice; it was the same as the little girl he had seen many times. He tried to speak to her; to ask her who she was and why she had the same voice and scent as the little girl, but it was like there was a vice around his vocal chords.

Kagome looked up when the nurse walked in, smiling. "Well he's finally awake!" She said happily. "I'll get the doctor for you."

Kagome continued to stare down at Inuyasha, silently willing him to say something to her. She prayed that the first thing he would tell her was that he wanted her back, that way she could finally give up on her anger and move back on with her life with him.

Akio wandered into the room, a large smile on his face. "Well, well, looks like the rumours are true. How are you feeling?"

Inuyasha tore his eyes away from Kagome and looked at the Youkai doctor. Instead of responding vocally, he made a soft whining noise. Akio frowned at the sound before asking his nurse something. The woman nodded and left the room only to return with Sesshomaru moments later.

"What seems to be the problem?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Your brother seems unable to speak in anything but Inu-Youkai, and I can't understand him." Akio told him. "He understands my questions, but I need you to translate what he's telling me. Now Inuyasha, can you repeat what you just told me?"

Sesshomaru listened closely to his brother's whine. "He says he's in a lot of pain."

"Okay, can you tell me where it hurts?"

It took several long minutes to get to the source of the discomfort, but Akio smiled saying that it was normal for him to experience that pain. After several more rounds of questioning, Akio politely asked Kagome to step outside the room. With a questioning glance in Sesshomaru's direction Kagome agreed and left.

She stood outside, straining to hear what was going on, but with her weak hearing, she couldn't get anything. Finally Akio stepped out, motioning for her to follow him.

"Is everything alright with him?" Kagome asked as they entered his office.

"He's doing as well as we can hope." Akio told her. "Unfortunately he is suffering from memory loss. He can recognize scents and sounds of voices, but he can't place them. He definitely recognizes yours, which is to be expected under the circumstance of you being ex mates."

Kagome chewed her lip. "What aren't you telling me?"

"He seems to recognize you, possibly because he believes that you are still mates. He is definitely going to need your support to get through this." Akio told her. "Do not tell him that you are not mates, it will only set him back. Unfortunately, I don't think he completely recognizes you, he seems confused about you for some reason."

Kagome nodded, not really understanding what the Youkai was trying to tell her. "I don't understand, but right now, I need to be by his side, for my sake and his own."

Akio sighed and nodded, watching the woman leave. Kagome stopped just outside his room and wiped away the tears that had been threatening to fall. She put on a tight smile and stepped inside the room only to find him asleep. Sesshomaru looked at her and she could have sworn she saw pity in his eyes.

She watched the Youkai leave and she pulled her chair closer to Inuyasha's bed, grasping his hand.

"Inuyasha, I know you're still in there somewhere." She said softly. "You have to come back to me so that we can set things right between us."

Akina stepped into the room and gripped her daughter's shoulders gently. "He'll remember you eventually. Even something like this can't separate you two."

"But mom, we are separated. We aren't mates, we're barely even friends." Kagome told her mother. "How can I start a relationship with him when he doesn't remember me or what we had together?"

"Not had, _have_." Akina said stubbornly. "I think this was meant to happen, this gives you both a fresh start. You can forget all the painful memories and build new ones."

"How can I forget what's happened?" Kagome said. "I need him mom. He's like oxygen, I can't survive without him. What if he never remembers us, and wants to be with someone else?"

Akina sighed. "Then you have to learn to deal with it. Take it one day at a time Kagome. Show him that you love him; help him to remember that he loves you. And if it's not meant to be, then you'll learn to be without him."

* * *

**AN: **

**There are a few lines that are repeated, one from this chapter, one from a previous chapter. And yes, the little girl is a Young Kagome. I'll explain why he's seeing her as a child, but hearing her voice in the next chapter or the one after it.**

**The comic book character referred to is Rouge from X-Men.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of** **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	11. Chapter 11

Inuyasha was sitting on his hospital bed flipping through the photo album his mother had brought. She had hoped that flipping through the pictures would help to trigger his memory. Although she had been assured both by Sesshomaru that Inuyasha knew who she was, it wasn't until he had made a certain sound that made her believe it.

When Inuyasha was still a baby and unable to speak, he had a sound that was half way between a growl and a whimper that he made whenever he saw her. Keitsuyoi had explained that it was the way for Inu-Youkai pup's to call to their mothers. When Inuyasha made that sound in the hospital she thought at first it was instinct, until he made it again and held out his hand to her.

The first time Inuyasha had flipped through the photo album he had panicked about one of the pictures.

_Kohana looked up at the sound of her sons whimper. His ears were lying flat against his skull, indicating that he was upset about something. "What is it?" She asked, moving to sit next to him._

_Inuyasha jabbed a finger at the picture. He was upset to see the little girl that he saw while he was in the coma. The picture was of him and Kagome when they were children. They were sharing a carousel horse and were obviously arguing when the picture had been taken._

_Inuyasha pointed to Kagome and cocked his head to one side, another whine escaping his throat. "That's Kagome." Kohana told him. "Do you remember who Kagome is?"_

_Inuyasha chewed on his lip and pointed to the chair that Kagome had been sitting in when he first awoke._

_"That's right; Kagome is your best friend." Kohana told him._

_She gave him a quick over view of their history, conveintly leaving out the part about what happened after their becoming mates. They all knew that he still recognized Kagome as his mate, so telling him that he wasn't would only serve to set him back. Kohana had a sudden urge to go and visit her deceased mate. She stood and ruffled her son's hair before dropping a kiss on his head and saying goodbye._

Inuyasha glanced up as Kagome's scent hit his nose. He watched the door with an expectant look which caught Kagome off guard as she entered the room. "Hey."

Inuyasha nodded to her, his standard way of greeting her. Kagome held up a bag and pointed to it, making Inuyasha cock his head to the side.

"Still not talking, huh?" She asked as she sat down beside his bed. She pulled the tray table up and began emptying the bag, including a steaming container of Ramen. Inuyasha's eyes widened and he all but drooled as he eyed the container. "Figures that you'd remember Ramen and not me."

Inuyasha growled at her playfully and made a grabbing motion for the cup. Kagome arched an eyebrow at him and held the cup out of his reach. Inuyasha scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. Kagome rolled her eyes at the sight of the Hanyou pouting.

"I'll tell you what," Kagome said, her fingers drumming on the lid. "You say a word, any word and I'll let you have the Ramen."

Inuyasha's pout became worse. Suddenly, a smirk replaced the pout and he let out a long growl followed by a soft yip. He sat back and held his hands out for his Ramen container.

"Inu Youkai words don't count."

The pout was back instantly. She watched his ears rotate on the top of his head, indicating that he was concentrating hard. She could see that he was trying to form the word that he saw in his mind. He growled a few times and punched the mattress in frustration.

Kagome sighed, feeling bad for putting him on the spot, and started to slide the cup towards him. "R-rain."

Kagome's eyes flew to him. "What did you just say?"

She watched him struggle to find the words. "S-something happened when it was r-raining." He stammered slowly. "Something important."

Kagome instantly thought of the first time they had made love and became mates. They had been studying for high school finals and in traditional fashion had gotten into a stupid argument. Kagome had gotten caught out in the rain when she forgot her car keys inside.

That hadn't been the only time that they had made love while it was raining. Once while he was visiting her in America they had gotten caught in a rainstorm while hiking. The rain had only served to fuel their passion.

Kagome blushed at the memories that flooded her mind. She shook her head and pushed the Ramen cup towards him with shaky fingers. Inuyasha inhaled the air deeply and instantly recognized the spike in Kagome's scent. He groaned at the pieces of broken memories that came to him, all of them contained Kagome, her face contorted in passion.

Capturing her wrist before she could pull away, Inuyasha gently tugged Kagome towards him. Kagome's breath caught as he started to lean towards her. Her eyes fluttered shut as she leaned to meet him half way.

They paused as their breath mingled somewhere between them, and Inuyasha's hand slid into her hair, gently pulling her even closer. Their lips were millimetres from touching when the door to his room flew open.

"Hello Inuyasha," A male voice came. "Oh sorry, I didn't realize that you had company."

Kagome's whole body tensed at the sound of that voice. She quickly straightened and spun around to face the man who had interrupted them. "You!"

Brandon's jaw dropped in shock. "Kagome?" He said, a smile lighting his features. "How the hell are you?"

* * *

**AN: I bet you all didn't see that one coming. I wasn't going to bring Brandon back into the story, but then I thought it could be fun, especially since this way Kagome can maim him for screwing up her life with Inuyasha.**

**A few people keep sending me messages and emails and such telling me that Inuyasha's mom's name is Izayoi...I'm going to answer all of you now and I apologize if I sound bitchy, but I'm sick. I KNOW her name is Izayoi...as I said in an AN back in I'm on the Outside, when I wrote the story I didn't know what her name was so I came up with one. It was only after writing three chapters or so with her name in it that I found out what her name reallywas. If you had bothered to read the note, you would know that. I don't put these here for fun, it's because I have something to say!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of** **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	12. Chapter 12

"Kagome?" Brandon said, a smile lighting his features. "How the hell are you?"

Kagome resisted the urge to tell him _exactly_ how she was feeling at that particular moment. "What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, noticing that Inuyasha had moved closer to her.

"I got a job here not long after I graduated." Brandon told her.

Kagome frowned and allowed Inuyasha to lay a protective arm on her hip. "I thought you were going to work in a clinic in New York."

Brandon had a degree in physio and rehabilitation therapy. He had often joked that he signed up for the class that he had shared with Kagome because of some kind of divine intervention. He had had plans to start off in a clinic close to home and eventually open his own. She had a sneaking suspicion there was more to his being there then he was leading on.

"I was, but one of my professors sent out my resume to different hospitals all over the place. I took Japanese while I was in high school and college." He explained. "It's strange seeing you here. How do you know my patient?"

"She's _mine_!" Inuyasha snarled.

Kagome had to fight the grin that threatened to appear on her face. "Inuyasha is my fiancée, well, my mate." Kagome told Brandon. "I had to put concealment spells on all my pictures of him. I didn't realize you believed in Youkai."

"I didn't at first." Brandon said stepping closer. "It came as a real shock in my final year."

"I don't doubt it." Kagome said while Inuyasha continued to snarl. "You stop that, he's here to help you."

Inuyasha snorted and looked away. "Feh."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Well I'll leave you two to your work." Kagome kissed the top of Inuyasha's head.

She gasped when he caught her roughly and pulled her back for a fierce, heady kiss. "Come back?" He asked.

Kagome took a minute to blink away the lust filled haze of her mind. "Yeah I'll be back later." She promised. "Brandon, it was good seeing you again."

The two men watched Kagome walk out of the room and Brandon turned back to Inuyasha, a tight smile on his face. "Well let's get working."

* * *

Inuyasha snarled at Brandon as he helped him to his feet. They had been working together for a month and while Inuyasha was progressing quite quickly, the two of them were far from friends.

"Snarl at me all you want, the only reason why I've helped you this long is because of Kagome." Brandon said.

Inuyasha snarled and pushed himself away from Brandon, going through his exercises while the doctors watched. "Leave her out of this."

Brandon smirked and rubbed his chin in thought. "You know, it kind of surprises me that she's with you. I had hoped that email I sent you would make you guys break up." He eyed the Hanyou as he walked back towards him. "In fact, I noticed that you two are lacking mate marks now, of course she never called it that, she just said it was a tattoo."

Inuyasha glared at the man in front of him. Of course he wasn't saying anything that Inuyasha himself hadn't already thought about. He couldn't figure out why neither of them had a mark. He knew by instinct that they were mates and had consummated more than once, he just couldn't remember any of it. Some of it came back to him in dreams, but it was hazy like trying to remember a night after drinking too much. He sighed and glanced at the window, the doctors were gone now, apparently pleased with his progress.

"I've always wondered if Kagome is a good fuck." Brandon said, snapping Inuyasha out of his thoughts. "I mean with legs like those wrapped around you…"

He didn't finish his sentence. Memories flooded back to Inuyasha. An email signed in Kagome's name, but not written at all like her. The fight at Sesshomaru's place. Even Brandon's face was familiar. That's when Inuyasha snapped.

With a vicious snarl, Inuyasha reached back and threw a heavy punch at Brandon. Every memory of seeing Brandon touch Kagome when he went to visit her, every complaint of Kagome's about the guy who never got the hint, even the tense body language the first time they saw him. His anger increased with every hit.

A startled gasp made him spin around as Kagome stood, wide eyed with Shippou in her arms. Inuyasha released Brandon, letting the unconscious male fall to the ground. He stalked over to where Kagome stood, and she instinctively turned her head to the side, showing her submissiveness to his Youkai.

With a soft growl he pulled her close, inhaling her scent deeply. When he was satisfied that no other male had touched her, aside from her family members, he licked the skin of her throat.

"_Mine_." He growled before storming out of the room.

Shippou stared up at Kagome in shock. "What was all _that _about?"

Kagome continued to stare at the bloody mess that was Brandon, before turning to find a nurse or a doctor to help him. She found a crane Youkai nurse standing by an elevator and gently touched the female's arm.

"Excuse me," Kagome said softly, making the Youkai turn. "One of the Physio-Therapists, Brandon, he's kind of unconscious."

The crane Youkai arched a delicate eyebrow and followed Kagome back to the room. "Well, looks like he finally managed to piss off that Hanyou enough." She said; the amusement clear in her voice.

Kagome gave the crane a questioning look as she made her way to the unconscious human. "What do you mean?"

"He's been egging him on." The Youkai told her. "Saying crude things about you actually. Doesn't surprise me he ended up like this. He'll have to go through some Youkai/Hanyou/Human relation courses after this if he plans to keep his job."

Kagome smirked and hugged Shippou to her as she exited the room. "Kagome, I'm still confused."

Kagome glanced down at the kit, a small smile on her face. "Don't worry Shippou; I think that this means that Inuyasha and I can finally move on together."

* * *

**AN: ****In case any of you are curious as to what Brandon would look like, I basically have an image of Joaquin Phoenix in my mind. If you want to take a look or you don't know who he is then google his name.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of** **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	13. Chapter 13

Kagome entered Inuyasha's room and saw the Hanyou glaring out the window, arms crossed over his chest. "Inuyasha, I…"

Inuyasha turned to her, his eyes ablaze with anger. "Why didn't you tell me that we weren't mates anymore?"

Kagome took a step back from him and Shippou quickly came to her defence. "W-we were afraid that it would slow down your progress!" The Kitsune cried. "Kagome wanted to tell you but Kohana and your doctor wouldn't let her!"

"Let's just let the stupid, pathetic, worthless," Inuyasha's tirade was cut off by the sharp connection of Kagome's hand against his cheek.

"Don't you _dare_ finish that sentence." She snapped. "Since you've obviously regained your memory, then you know that I have never thought of you that way!"

Inuyasha snorted and turned away. "So that's the little bastard that's been the cause of all our problems."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I don't think its right to blame it all on Brandon."

"Oh no of course not." Inuyasha snarled. "Let's just put all the blame on me because _I'm_ the fucking idiot. I believe everything!"

Kagome was on the verge of tears, Inuyasha's back was to her, but she knew he'd smell them soon enough. "And here _I _was stupid enough to think that we had been given a second chance."

Kagome stormed out of the room, the scent of her tears trailing behind her. Inuyasha turned to Shippou who had jumped from Kagome's arms to the bed, and was currently glaring at him.

"Way to go, asshole." Shippou said. "You do realize that if you had pretended to not have your memory back, you could have gotten Kagome to be your mate again right?"

Inuyasha growled and reached over, thumping the kit hard before turning and facing the window. _Damn that brat for being right.

* * *

_

Kagome slammed the door shut as she stormed into the house. She almost ran Rin over, but stopped to let the girl pass. Jaken, on the other hand was not so lucky. He stormed towards Kagome, screaming at her for slamming the door closed. Kagome wasted no time in kicking the small toad away from her, sending Jaken rolling down a flight of stairs.

Sesshomaru appeared out of his room, staring at Kagome like she had lost her mind. "What the hell is going on?"

Kagome glared at Sesshomaru. "He's regained his memory."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"It would be a good thing except now he's pissed off because everyone wanted to shelter him." Kagome shouted stalking to her room. "I _knew_ this would happen!"

Sesshomaru reached up and scratched his head, his confusion clearly evident. He knew that Kagome had wanted to tell him everything from the beginning; she hadn't wanted to give him false hope. However, Kohana and Inuyasha's doctor had forbidden it, even going as far as to threaten to not let Kagome see him. At that threat Kagome had relented and kept her mouth shut.

Sesshomaru followed Kagome to her room, and watched her stare out the window, her body tense with anger. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" Kagome said. "Apparently Brandon pissed him off andInuyasha beat the shit out of him. But whatever Brandon said to him obviously triggered his memory, because when I went to his room to see if he was alright he snapped."

"Did he hurt you?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Physically?" Sesshomaru nodded. "No. He started calling himself worthless and stupid. He was so angry. It's funny. I almost wish he had hit me, hearing him call himself all those things hurt me more than any physical pain could have."

Sesshomaru went to Kagome and wrapped his arms around her waist, staring out the window with her. Her hands patted his arms as she accepted his attempt to soothe her.

"I don't know why he thinks that way of himself. He never has."

"At least not that he's mentioned to you." Sesshomaru said. "And I believe that it is partially my fault."

Kagome turned her head to look at him in shock. "What do you mean?"

"You know how my mother died when I was young right?" Kagome nodded. "Well, she was killed by a human male protecting his Hanyou daughter. He thought that my mother had come to kill his child. He and a group of villagers hunted her down and slaughtered her before my very eyes.

"I was hidden away in the bushes. She had been teaching me how to hunt, while my father was off tending to his wards. She had caught their scent and told me to hide. They lynched her, and then hung her from a tree branch. Because they were afraid she would come back to life, they severed her head and limbs before burning her corpse. I watched the whole thing."

Tears sprung to Kagome's eyes. "I'm sorry. I never knew. Inuyasha had only told me that there had been a Youkai extermination at that time."

"That's the story that my father told Kohana, so that's what she told Inuyasha when he asked why she wasn't my mother as well. For the longest time I hated humans and Hanyou's. My father and I actually stopped talking for the hundred years or so before Inuyasha was born. I received news that they had been pregnant several times, only to lose the baby. Each time I heard that I had lost another sibling I was heart broken. Even thought the child would be something I would despise, it felt good knowing I'd be an older brother.

"I was at the hospital when Inuyasha was born. My father brought him out to me and all but forced the baby into my arms. He said, 'Sess, this is your baby brother, Inuyasha. I want you to take care of him should anything happen to me'. Unfortunately my prejudice towards Hanyou's made me treat him horribly.

"Inuyasha followed me around in typical little brother fashion. I always told him he was stupid and useless. I despised him. One day Father had taken Inuyasha out to the park, a guy was driving down the street, obviously drunk, he swerved and almost hit Inuyasha, but Father got to him first. The car hit him. Normally such a thing wouldn't kill a Youkai, but the car caught fire.

"It's ironic that the thing that killed both my parents was fire. I blamed him even more for killing our father. I called him more names, told him he was useless more often. I belittled him and made him believe that he was truly useless. He became shy and withdrawn; Kohana assumed it was because of the death of his father. She was originally going to home school him, but when he wouldn't come out of his shell, she insisted he go to public school."

Kagome chewed her lip and nodded. She knew the rest; she had been there every moment after all. She also knew that Sesshomaru had changed his opinion of his brother because she had yelled at him more than once for treating him poorly.

She dashed a hand over her eyes. "I just don't know what to do anymore Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru's arms tightened around her. "I don't know what to tell you." He said quietly. "You'll know what to do when the time comes."

* * *

**AN: Hey guys, thanks for all the reviews lately. I have one favour to ask, please don't ask me to write longer chapters, I write them the length that I believe they need to be at. I'm perfectly capable of writing longer chapters I just stop when I feel it is a right time to stop. I personally don't like long dragging chapters, I have no problem reading them, but I hate writing them. If I get bored while writing it then I figure you guys will get bored reading it. **

**Also, I understand why you guys are anxious for updates, and I appreciate it. But I do work two jobs and have a life outside of writing. I update when I can and I try to do it on a regular basis, it just doesn't always work that way. But please, don't tell me you're going to come and find me and beat me up or kill me or hold my dog hostage until I update, that just annoys me and makes me want to stop writing to prove a point to people like that. I got four emails today that had threats like that in it. Please refrain from doing so.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of** **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	14. Chapter 14

Miroku sighed in frustration as he failed to tie his tie yet again. Inuyasha smirked at him and moved forward to take pity on his friend. Luckily he had been released from the hospital in time to attend the wedding as Miroku's best man. They had decided to go with a western style wedding after Sango had fallen in love with a wedding dress.

"I've never been this nervous before in my life." Miroku said while Inuyasha tied the tie. "What if she decides that she doesn't want to marry me? What if she runs away, like that Julia Roberts movie."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "This is the last time you watch chick flicks with Sango two days before you're supposed to get married. Besides if she's smart, she'll run away before she starts walking down the isle, then no one can stop her except Kagome, and she's a wuss."

"I'm telling her you said that." Kohaku said from where he was helping Shippou with his tie.

"You guys aren't helping me!" Miroku said. The door opened and Sesshomaru strolled in, his face an expressionless mask. "Oh Gods, she's gone, isn't she?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and pushed him toward Sesshomaru. "He isn't going to shut up until I go check on her. Finish tying his damn tie."

Inuyasha walked out of the room to the elevator. They had gotten two hotel rooms at a hotel just down the street from the church. The girls had stayed in the wedding suite with Sango while all the guys had stayed in a room that Miroku had originally reserved for the Maid of Honour and the Best Man. Since Kagome and Inuyasha still were on shaky ground it was very possible that only one of them would be spending the night in that room.

Inuyasha took the elevator up two floors and knocked on the door. Rin opened the door cautiously, before turning back into the room. "It's alright, it's just Inuyasha."

She opened the door and allowed Inuyasha to enter the room. "What's wrong? I sent Kohaku down like an hour ago to make sure that Miroku wasn't panicing." Sango said as she stepped out of the bathroom.

Inuyasha shrugged. "You know Miroku; he thinks you're going to run away."

"I told you guys you shouldn't have watched that stupid movie before you got married." Kagome's voice floated from the bathroom. "Now get your ass back in here so I can finish your hair."

"Hang on." Sango said. "Look tell him that I'll be down at the church on time, hell I'll probably beat him there."

Kagome came out of the bathroom. "Come on Sango, I need to finish your hair and make up if you intend on keeping your word."

Inuyasha made a funny noise in the back of his throat when he spotted Kagome in her red dress. Kagome looked at him, a delicate eyebrow arching slightly. "Okay, go tell him what I told you, and tell him that if I find out he's still saying that he's not going to be able to have much of a wedding night by the time I'm through with him."

Inuyasha nodded and left the room.

True to her word, Sango showed up at the church earlier than Miroku. She even sent Rin out into the hallway to prove that they were there, and then spoke with him through the door.

Other than that the ceremony had gone pretty well. Rin had tripped on her dress, and burst into tears, until Sesshomaru came over and escorted her up the rest of the isle. Shippou kept fidgeting, his tie obviously being a problem for the poor kit.

All through the ceremony Inuyasha and Kagome kept making eye contact and looking away quickly. They both knew that had their relationship not fallen apart, they would be in the same position months later, reciting their own vows.

Dinner was wonderful, interrupted enough times by the traditional clanking of glasses to have the bride and groom kiss. Kagome giggled each time as Miroku and Sango made a big show of annoyance, but they knew they loved the attention.

When the time came to dance, Kagome danced her obligatory dance with Inuyasha before sitting out. She watched Sango and Miroku dancing. She was happy for the two of them and despite the small amount of icing still smashed into the lapel of Miroku's tux, they looked great. Kagome felt the air rush from her lungs as Shippou pounced, hitting her in the diaphragm.

"Kagome, can I take this off now? Everyone else has."

Kagome smiled at the kit. "Sure Shippou, it's time to relax and have fun now."

Kagome undid the knot of his tie and tucked the offending article of clothing into her purse. "Thanks Kagome!" Shippou said happily before bounding off once more.

Kagome turned back to watching the happy couple. "And to think that could have been us in a few years, months, whatever." Inuyasha's voice whispered in her ear.

She silently cursed the Hanyou for being able to send delightful shivers up and down her spine. "Yeah, too bad someone had to fuck everything up." Kagome snapped climbing to her feet. She had given up being happy around him and sugar coating her feelings.

"Okay, I deserved that." Inuyasha grimaced.

"Oh believe me, you deserve so much more." Kagome growled. "A swift kick to the balls being one of them."

Inuyasha stared after her in shock. He supposed he deserved everything she was throwing his way. She had been tip-toeing around him since the accident, and the one time that they had spoken they had gotten into another fight, with him saying that maybe it was a good thing they had broken up and that she was free to go to her American boy toy. Kagome hadn't taken that too well and ended almost hitting him. The presence of Rin and Shippou had kept her from doing it.

He followed her out to the terrace. He grabbed her arm as she moved into the courtyard only to have to avoid her other hand that was trying to connect with his face.

"So violent, Kagome." He whispered huskily.

"Get your fucking hand off of me." Kagome hissed.

"And such language; what would your mother say?"

"Go for the ears and pull hard, Kagome." She said in an all too serious tone.

Inuyasha flicked the aforementioned appendages, tempting to do just what she threatened. A slow song made its way out into the night and pulled her tightly to him.

"What are you doing?" Kagome whispered.

"Dancing." Inuyasha told her, resting his chin on top of her head. "Though this song seems a little depressing for a wedding."

Kagome chewed on her bottom lip nervously. She could feel her resolve crumbling in his familiar embrace. She knew that there was no place else she wanted to be. As she thought this, Sesshomaru's words came back to her. _Ask him for one last night._

_Can I really do that? _Kagome thought. _Can I really ask him for one night when I want a lifetime?_

All of Kagome's thoughts, doubts and fears were wiped away at the feeling of Inuyasha's lips on the top of her head. She found it frightening that a kiss so simple sent pangs of longing through her, setting her body on fire.

"What do you want from me Kagome?" Inuyasha groaned into her ear.

Kagome pulled back and stared into his golden depths. "Can you give me tonight?" She whispered. "Would you give yourself to me all night, remind me of your love for me?"

Inuyasha reached down and squeezed her hand tightly. "If that's what you want from me, I'll more than happily give it."

* * *

**AN: **

**I have a photo album put together for the wedding stuff. If you want the link just ask me in your review or send me a message. Also the song that they are dancing to is called Right Here by Staind...a good song, download it if you like.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of** **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	15. Chapter 15

The ride up to their room was awkward. Kagome found the floor very interesting while Inuyasha watched the numbers scroll by. When the doors slid open, Inuyasha reached back and grabbed her hand. The two of them walked silently to their room and when Inuyasha slid the key into the lock, Kagome crossed her arms over her stomach and chewed on her bottom lip nervously.

Inuyasha opened the door and gently pulled her inside he took his time kicking off his shoes and removed his tie and jacket. He looked over at Kagome when he heard a dull thud and noticed that she had kicked her shoes off.

He took her hand and pulled her towards him slowly. "You know, we don't have to do this." He told her. "If it's too hard, I'll leave right now."

Kagome chewed on her bottom lip before reaching forward and wrapping her arms around his neck. "No, I want this."

Inuyasha stared at her as he ran his hand through her hair, brushing out the final traces of hairspray. His eyes wandered her face before looking her in the eye. They stayed silent and staring at each other for several minutes before Inuyasha leaned forward, gently pressing his lips to hers. Kagome sighed, as her arms tightened around his neck. The gentle pressure was enough to send a shiver through her body.

Inuyasha gently traced his tongue against her lips, not wanting to force her, but requesting permission to deepen the kiss. Kagome angled her head to the left before opening her lips enough for Inuyasha's tongue to slide through. His tongue gently searched her mouth before hers rose to meet it. She tapped it playfully before entwining it with his.

Inuyasha groaned into her mouth, his hands sliding from her hair to the back of her dress. He grasped the zipper firmly in his claws and slowly slid it down. He moved from her mouth, across her chin to her ear, tracing the shell with his tongue. He kissed the back of her ear before moving down her neck.

Kagome tilted her head back, allowing him better access to her skin. He bit the skin before soothing the flesh with his tongue. Kagome moaned as he slid down her body, his hair brushed over her sensitive skin. He kissed along the tops of her breasts that were still covered by her dress as he pulled the zipper down the rest of the way.

He bunched the top of the dress in his hands and exposed her skin slowly. Every inch that was exposed was kissed, licked and worshiped. Inuyasha was desperate to take his time, to commit the moment to memory, something to keep him going at night in case he never had another chance to do what he was doing.

Inuyasha grinned at the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra; it meant that for once he didn't have to struggle with the damn contraption. Once her breasts were exposed, Inuyasha's mouth immediately went to her left breast while his right hand went to its twin. He circled his tongue expertly around her nipple before guiding it into his mouth. He swirled his tongue around the pebbled flesh while his thumb and forefinger rolled the other between them. Kagome groaned and arched into him, begging him not to stop. He pulled away and kissed his way to the other breast, his right hand replacing his left's grip on her dress.

When he was satisfied that they had received enough attention, he allowed more of the dress to slip from her body, once again worshiping the exposed skin. When the dress reached her hips he let it fall freely, lifting one foot, then the other, to help her out of it completely.

Inuyasha straightened his torso, and placed another hungry kiss on her mouth before crouching and lifting her bridal style into his arms. Kagome trailed light kisses across his face, while her left hand trailed up to rub the base of his ears. Inuyasha gently laid her on the bed before standing at the foot.

He slowly undid the buttons of his shirt, but left it on. He picked up her left leg and starting at the top of her foot, kissed his way up to her ankle, nibbling on the small bone that jutted out. He continued up her leg, taking his time where her thigh met her center.

He slid his tongue along the edge of the black panties she was wearing before continuing up to the top of her underwear. He kissed along the band, watching her stomach muscles jump and twitch before retracing the path he had taken, only this time on her right leg.

As he moved away from her hip, his thumbs hooked into the band of her panties, slowly working them down as he kissed down her thigh. When he reached her foot, he looked back up, only to find Kagome had slowly sat up as he moved.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"You have too much clothing on." She said her voice deep with lust.

She beckoned him forward, and cupped his cheeks in her hands. She kissed him passionately as she swept his shirt off his shoulders. Inuyasha gasped in surprise when she hooked her leg around his waist and used her weight to roll them.

"Hey, I'm supposed to be seducing you." Inuyasha whined.

Kagome pressed her lips against his in a fierce, needy kiss. "Shut up Inuyasha."

Kagome moved down his body, dropping kisses to whatever piece of skin caught her fancy. She took her time exploring his neck, running her tongue over his Adams apple. Inuyasha groaned and threw his head back, giving in to her domination for the time being.

Kagome moved her way down his body, drawn to his nipples. She teased the left with her teeth and tongue, while she ran her thumb over the other. Inuyasha gasped and arched into her mouth. She had only played a dominant role twice before in their relationship, and even then she hadn't done much exploration of his body. She switched between the two sensitive buds as she gently raked her nails down his stomach.

She followed her hand down, running her tongue over the defined muscles of his stomach. She swirled her tongue around his belly button, dipping it in for the briefest moment, but even that was enough to send his hands flying up to grip the headboard and his back to arch of the bed. Kagome paused to look up at him, his muscles pulled taut, his mouth hanging open and his eyes squeezed shut in utter ecstasy.

"You ain't seen nothing yet, lover." Kagome purred as her hands went to his belt.

Kagome quickly undid his belt and pants and climbed off the bed to pull them from his body. She pulled his socks off while she was down there before climbing up his body. She considered teasing him the way he had but decided to scratch that when she saw him watching with heavy eyes.

Kagome smirked at him as she hooked her thumbs into his boxers.

* * *

Kagome's back arched and she moaned his name loudly as she once again fell over the edge, this time, taking Inuyasha with her. She collapsed breathlessly on his chest, her eyes fluttering shut. It wasn't long before she passed out from sheer exhaustion.

With some tricky manuvering, Inuyasha pulled himself from her body and laid her out beside him. He bit his lip while he studied her face as she slept. He briefly thought of a conversation he had with Myouga the day he was released from the hospital.

_"Can I still mark her as mine?" He asked the flea._

_"She is under your brother's protection, but your mark can override his since you were once her mate." Myouga told him. "You can also mark her without her knowledge. If she still loves you and wants you as a mate, then her body will accept the mark."_

Inuyasha allowed his fang to pierce his lip as he very carefully used a claw to pierce the skin of her hip. Kagome moaned, but did not waken. He slid down her body and allowed his blood to drip on to the cut, mixing their blood and drawing the kanji for mate. He then raised his blood covered claw and pierced the skin over his heart, drawing the same kanji in their mixed blood.

He watched in amazement as her mark immediately darkened, once again marking her as his. He knew she would kill him in the morning, but at that point the death would be well worth it. He settled back beside her and with a sigh, buried his face in her hair, for now he would be content in holding her.

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**AN: Sorry for the long time between updates, my computerhas decided to continue being a royal pain in my ass, but I'm posting several chapters tonight. I think there will only be one or two more chapters to this story after the ones I post tonight.**

**I have started working on a new one as well. It originally had started as a one-shot for InuGoddess715 for being my 1000th reviewer, but I just didn't like the plot holes in it. Truth be told I hate writing one shots...I findthat they're never enough LOL. Soinstead, it's an epic. I'll be posting the prolouge either tonight or tomorrow, but remember it's a PROLOUGE, it'll be short and to the point, so no complaints about length.**

**If you want any links in regards to this story please email me and I will send out a mass email. Also if I have promised you links personally and you have yet to receive them please email me so I can resend you the links you have requested. My email address is in my profile.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of** **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	16. Chapter 16

Kagome came out of her slumber slowly. A quick glance at the clock told her that it was mid morning and that she still had a few hours before the gift opening for Sango and Miroku. She turned in Inuyasha's arms and stared at his sleeping face for a few moments. She began to long for the time spent in those arms, the days in America where she would skip class and they would spend all day in each others arms.

She nuzzled his chin before placing a quick kiss on his nose. It took her several minutes to work herself out of his arms so that she could take a shower. Inuyasha opened one eye and watched her stroll across the room naked. His ear twitched as the shower started running and the curtain was pulled one way, and then back.

He sighed and rolled onto his back, crossing his arms under his head. She obviously hadn't noticed the mark, which meant that he might be able to get away with it after all.

"Inuyasha!"

He shot up straight, as the bathroom door flew open and Kagome stormed out, wrapped in a towel. "Yes?"

"What the hell is this?" Kagome demanded, pulling the corner of her towel away and pointing to the dark mark on her hip.

"That would be my mate mark." He said, his face breaking out into a huge smile. "I'm sure you've seen it before, my mother has one and you used to have it on the back of your neck."

"I know what it is," She said, picking up a pillow that had been thrown on the floor and hitting him over the head with it. "What the hell is it doing on my hip?"

"I put it there."

"Why?"

"Well, I didn't think it would actually take, it was more of an experiment."

Kagome hit him with the pillow again. "An _experiment_?"

"Yeah, Myouga said that I should try it. If you didn't want to be my mate, your body wouldn't have accepted the mark, it would have just look like a scratch." Inuyasha told her. "The fact that it darkened and healed almost immediately shows that you had every intention of becoming my mate again."

Kagome stood staring at him like another head popped from his shoulder. "I-I, okay so I wanted to become your…wait, Myouga told you to do this?" Inuyasha's grin got bigger and he nodded vigorously. "What the _fuck_ is wrong with you? You of all people should know not to do something that Myouga tells you to do. I'm going to find him and squish him!"

She spun on her heel and stalked back to the bathroom. "Where are you going?" He asked, following her.

"To finish my shower, what's it look like?"

"Want me to come wash your back?" Kagome's towel was thrown at his head in response. "Okay, how about your front."

His only answer was the bar of soap that came flying at him.

* * *

Several weeks passed and while Inuyasha and Kagome were mated, Kagome had refused to move in with him. Needless to say, Sesshomaru and Jaken were rather dismayed to see Inuyasha hanging around the mansion practically every waking moment. Luckily Kagome got a break when ever she had to work with Rin, who was now being home schooled by Kagome, or when Inuyasha was at work.

Kagome awoke to a queasy feeling in her stomach and launched out of bed, praying that she'd make it to the bathroom in time. When her stomach was emptied and more settled she reached a shaky hand up to flush the toilet. She laid her face against the cool seat and cursed her body for catching the flu.

"Wait a minute." Kagome said softly. She did a quick calculation before her stomach heaved again and she wretched. "Oh fuck me."

"I believe that's what got you into this situation in the first place." Kohana's voice floated over to her.

Kagome leaned her head down, once more flushing the toilet. She heard Kohana run the water and a cool cloth was pressed against the back of her neck. "What do you mean?"

"Sesshomaru phoned me this morning." Kohana told her. "He said that he noticed a change in your scent, similar to the one I gave off when I was pregnant with Inuyasha."

Kagome moaned and buried her face in the crook of her arm. "I'm going to kill Sesshomaru."

"Sesshomaru?" Kohana asked. "All do respect kid; I'd be threatening to rip Inuyasha's balls off."

"You don't understand; it was Sesshomaru's idea to ask him for one more night." Kagome told her. "I wasn't keeping track."

Kohana rubbed the back of her neck. "Inuyasha would have known. He would have been able to smell it on you."

Kagome sat back and looked at Kohana. "That jackass, that's twice he's done something stupid."

"What do you mean?"

"He marked me again, after I fell asleep."

Kohana's eyes widened. "Is such a thing possible? I thought that without permission it would just scratch the skin."

Kagome frowned. "Well apparently because my heart and soul still wanted to be with him, my body accepted the mark."

"Huh, I wonder how he found that out."

"Myouga." Kagome said, trying to swallow down the bile that threatened to rise.

"I'm going to squish him." Kohana told her.

"Right behind you." Kagome said.

Kohana helped the girl to her feet and down to the kitchen where she began to make her some tea to settle her stomach. "What are you going to tell my son?"

Kagome's head dropped to her arms that were resting on the counter in front of her. "I dunno, do you think I can avoid telling him for the next nine months?"

"Five."

Kagome's head lifted slowly. "Pardon me?"

"Five months." Kohana said, not looking at Kagome. "Hanyou's, like Youkai, develop extremely fast. Even though Inuyasha is only half, because he is past maturity his Youkai blood ensures that you are going to give birth to a Hanyou."

Kagome groaned and dropped her head into her hands. "Wonderful. What the hell am I going to say to him? 'Hey Inuyasha, get ready cause in five months your going to be a daddy'?"

The sound of a glass breaking made Kagome look up. She saw the wide eyed look on Kohana's face and slowly turned around. Behind her, Inuyasha was frozen in the spot he stood, hand open, shattered glass at his feet.

"What did you just say?"

Kagome chewed her lip nervously. "Um, in five months you're going to be a daddy."

Kagome let out a squeal of surprise when Inuyasha shot across the room and pulled her out of her chair. He spun her around, making her stomach heave once more. "You're pregnant?"

"Take a whiff dog-boy, you obviously didn't earlier." Kagome teased, unable to help the smile that was breaking out on her face.

Inuyasha put her back on her feet, pressing his lips hard against hers. When he pulled away, the two of them were breathless and his mother was blushing and concentrating on the tea she was making.

"You do of course realize that this means you _have_ to move in with me right?"

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**AN: No this isn't the end, but it's coming pretty soon. I know, it's so sad! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of** **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	17. Chapter 17

"Are you comfortable?"

"I'm fine."

"Do you need anything?"

"No."

"You hungry?"

"I just told you that I don't need anything."

"How's your stomach?"

"Fine, I haven't been sick for like a week."

"Is the baby okay?"

Inuyasha ducked the pillow that was thrown at his head. "Inuyasha, I've been pregnant for less then a month, Hanyou or not, the kid isn't doing much!" Kagome shouted, frustrated.

Two minutes after he found out that Kagome was pregnant she was sitting in a chair and he had become her "beckon/call" boy. He also insisted that she move from Sesshomaru's to his loft, insisting that the Youkai wouldn't take proper care of her.

She actually didn't mind living with him. He allowed Rin to come over to continue her lessons, provided that Kagome would lie down if it became too much. He also took time out of his schedule to make sure she was comfortable. Kohana had warned her that because of the quick development of the baby, her muscles would become sore easily. Because of this he was more than happy to give her a massage to relieve the pain.

The downside? Kagome's hormones were firing off faster then a firing squad. Inuyasha had to learn quickly that she could go from laughing to crying to beating him with a pillow, and when that happened he had to learn how to think fast. Kagome also became, as Miroku called it, "Uber Horny". Unfortunately she had yet to convince Inuyasha that, yes; it was safe for them to have sex while she was pregnant.

* * *

Kagome was sitting at the table with Rin, rubbing her tired eyes and trying to ignore the familiar ache of wanting to be intimate with her mate. "Kagome, are you alright?" Rin's voice interrupted her thoughts of what she would do to the Hanyou if she ever convinced him that it was okay, and he wouldn't hurt the baby.

"I'm fine Rin, just a little tired." Kagome lied.

Rin eyed her "aunt" cautiously before leaning back in her chair. "Inuyasha's still holdin' out on ya isn't he?"

Kagome choked on the mouthful of water she had just taken in. "What did you say?"

"Well Miroku keeps talking about how women's hormones flare up when they're pregnant and it makes them crave sex more often. My guess is that Uncle Inuyasha is too stubborn to believe he wouldn't be hurting the baby."

Kagome stared at the girl, her jaw hanging open in shock. "You are forbidden to be anywhere near Miroku when you are alone!" Kagome snapped. "I'm going to tell your father!"

Rin giggled and began to pack up her books. Only when Kagome was really upset did she refer to Sesshomaru as Rin's father. "Jaken should be outside, so I'm going to go home now. Maybe you should show Inuyasha some of those educational tapes on mating that I know you have stashed away to show me when we cover sex ed."

Kagome smirked and crossed her arms over her chest as she walked the girl to the front door. "Well I obviously don't need to show them to you since Miroku has covered the sex talk."

Rin giggled and waved her farewell to Kagome. Kagome sighed and closed the door behind, slowly making her way to the kitchen. She ran the tap to freshen her water when a circled date on the calendar caught her attention.

"Shit!"

Inuyasha jumped away from the door as Kagome flung it open. "Where's the fire?"

"I have my ultra-sound today and I completely forgot!" She said, trying to shove past him.

Inuyasha grabbed her arm gently. "I knew that you had one, hence why I left work early to drive you."

"But it's in five minutes!" Kagome said, her breath becoming laboured.

"Kagome, relax!" Inuyasha insisted. "The appointment was pushed back 45 minutes."

Kagome let out an audible sigh of relief and allowed Inuyasha to tuck her under his arm and lead her out to the car. She relaxed into the cool leather of the interior of his car and turned the air conditioner towards her. She smirked as Inuyasha pulled away from the curb. He had started driving more responsibly when he found out that she was pregnant.

It didn't take them long to get to the doctors office. Inuyasha ran around to her side of the car to help her out. "You better keep doing this when I'm too big to see my feet!" She told him.

Inuyasha chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist, his fingers brushing against the mark on her hip. Kagome mentally groaned and cursed her body. Inuyasha's head snapped towards her when the scent of her arousal caught his nose. Kagome's face was dusted with a light pink and she refused to meet his eye.

Inuyasha sighed as they finally reached the office. He sat down while Kagome went to the counter. It wasn't that he didn't want to have sex with Kagome, if anything he wanted her now more than ever, but he was so paranoid about somehow hurting the baby.

Kagome sat down beside him and nervously played with her fingers. She wasn't sure why she was nervous, it was a routine check-up and Sesshomaru had been sure to get her a Youkai doctor, meaning that her questions would be answered much easily then a human doctor.

Inuyasha reached over and picked up her hand, stopping her fidgeting. "Don't worry, everything's gonna be fine!"

Kagome shot him a nasty glare and began fidgeting again. She was starting to drive Inuyasha insane, luckily a nurse appeared and called Kagome's name, saving them from an argument. Inuyasha followed Kagome into the room and watched as she changed into the paper gown the nurse left out for her.

"Must you stare at me?"

"Why shouldn't I stare at you, you're my mate and I find you dead sexy right now."

Before Kagome could say anything the doctor came in. _Figures, they usually take forever and the one time I can tell him off the doctor comes in. _Kagome thought as she laid back for her exam. Inuyasha sat down on a stool beside her as the doctor began taking a look. He didn't particularly enjoy the fact that Kagome looked uncomfortable, but he was happy that the doctor was a female.

"Well everything looks good. My main concern was that you might have an infection, which can happen in Hanyou pregnancies. Because of the fast growth rate the uterine tissue can stretch to the point where it may tear and you can get a pretty nasty infection." The doctor said taking off her gloves. "Let's take an ultra-sound and take a look at the baby!"

Kagome's stomach muscles jumped when the cold gel was poured onto her skin. Inuyasha grabbed her hand and squeezed it anxiously as the doctor started up the monitor and the first sounds of their baby's heartbeat filled the room.

Kagome smiled up at Inuyasha, her face flushed with excitement, her eyes bright. Inuyasha leaned down and pressed his lips hard to hers, tears swimming in his eyes. "Now normally I would ask if you want to know the sex of the baby, but he's kind of mooning us."

Kagome glanced at the monitor and laughed, "Sounds like he's definitely yours." She teased Inuyasha as the doctor wiped her stomach clean.

"Keh, like there was ever any doubt."

The doctor helped Kagome to sit up and wrote a few things down on her chart. "Before I leave, do you have any questions?"

Inuyasha shook his head but Kagome waved her hand slightly. "Yeah, can we still have sex? Cause he's convinced we can't."

The doctor laughed as Inuyasha's face turned a lovely shade of scarlet. "That's a common question. Yes you can still have sex. Because you're stomach isn't that big you can still do missionary, as the baby develops you'll have to find other positions to be comfortable for you." The woman informed them. "Also the closer that you get to your due date you can actually induce labour by orgasm."

Kagome and Inuyasha both blushed at that thought, making the doctor laugh. "If you don't have any other questions, make an appointment with one of the nurses for your next check up."

The doctor left and Kagome climbed off the table to get dressed. Inuyasha waited patiently for her to turn around before dragging her lips to his in a heated kiss. "What was that for?" Kagome asked.

"To get you to agree to go right home and make up for lost time."

Kagome's mouth curled into a sexy grin. "You're on dog boy."

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Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	18. Chapter 18

Kagome groaned as she settled into a chair to watch the rain. Her back and legs were aching more then they had been for the past several months as the baby developed, and now with less then a week before her due date the ache had intensified to a continuous throb. Even though Inuyasha had been giving her massages daily, it only helped to alleviate the pain slightly.

She smiled as she watched the rain fall, thinking of all the times they had made lover while it was raining. She almost wished that she wasn't in so much pain so that they could do it again.

Not that Inuyasha hadn't found other ways to bring her pleasure. In fact the times that he had orally pleased her, it had helped to relieve her strained muscles for longer then a few minutes at a time. However the doctor's words haunted them as she drew closer to her due date.

_"You can induce labour by orgasm."_

That was something neither of them wanted to experience.

Kagome sighed as Inuyasha's hands dropped to her shoulders, kneading the tense muscles. "The news just announced that the bridge is pretty much flooded so they've closed the road."

Kagome shrugged and leaned her head back to look at him. "That's fine, as long as I don't go into labour. I have no intentions on leaving this chair for more then ten minutes at a time."

Inuyasha smiled softly and crossed around to kneel in front of her. He rested his head on her lap, his ear swivelling towards her swollen belly to listen to the steady heartbeat of their baby. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore and fat, but I'm dealing with it." She told him as she rubbed the base of his ears.

"I think you're beautiful." Inuyasha said, his eyes drifting closed.

"You're biased." Kagome sighed, shifting at a sudden twinge in her back. "Besides, you're my mate, you're supposed to say that remember?"

Kagome sighed as the familiar, uncomfortable sensation of her bladder being compressed reached her brain. She gently pushed at Inuyasha's head, making him move enough so that she could stand up. She groaned softly as a wave of unfamiliar pain washed over her, making her clutch her belly.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

Another wave hit her, making her cry out and start to fall to her knees. Inuyasha was at her side in an instant, his arms around her, catching her before she fell. "Inuyasha, I think the baby is coming."

Inuyasha paled slightly, sniffing the air. He could smell a slight change in her scent, but he didn't understand what it meant. He helped her settle onto the floor and he jumped up to find the phone.

Kagome watched him run from the room with tears in her eyes. She felt like she was slowly being torn apart. Her mother said that it would hurt and that some women experienced more pain then others, but this was ridicules. Another wave of pain hit her and she felt something wet gush from between her legs, her water had broken, the baby was coming now.

Inuyasha winced at the sound of Kagome's pained scream as he re-entered the room. "I'm sorry Kagome, but with the roads being closed, the ambulance can't get here and we can't get out by car."

"Please tell me that you're joking." Kagome hissed out.

"I'm not joking." Inuyasha replied. "I could always carry you on my back."

"How about _fuck_ no!"

Inuyasha had to bite his lip to keep from smirking at her, but if her glare told him anything, she had definitely seen his lips twitch in amusement.

"Think of it this way Kagome, if we were living in the feudal era, you'd have a mid wife to help you birth my sons." Inuyasha teased her.

"First of all, we're having a girl, second of all this is not the feudal era and you're no fucking mid-wife." Kagome spat out from between gritted teeth.

"Oh please, all I have to do is kneel between your legs and catch."

Kagome's face flamed red. He wasn't sure if it was from pain, anger or embarrassment. "You between my legs is what got me into this position remember?"

Inuyasha's face softened and he moved around to sit behind her, snuggling her against him. "I'm sorry."

Kagome wanted to kick herself. "Me too, but I really don't want to have the baby on the living room floor."

"I know you don't, but unless I take you by piggy back or we call Sesshomaru and he takes you in energy form, we're screwed."

Kagome nodded, "Maybe we should at least phone the hospital or something, they can at least talk you through this."

The moment Inuyasha nodded in agreement the loft was plunged into darkness. "Oh, fuck."

"Inuyasha please tell me that you remembered to buy a non-cordless phone like I asked you to." Kagome didn't like his silence. "I hate you so much right now."

"It's okay, I can do this, and we watched all those videos in your Lamaze class remember?"

Kagome's only answer was a scream of pain as the baby decided that the time had come for it to make an appearance. Inuyasha jumped to his feet and began collecting things that he remembered the video's telling them they might need in case of an emergency.

He returned to her side and gently raised her up so that he could put some pillows behind her back to keep her inclined. He dropped a kiss to her forehead as he helped her lay back against the pillows. Once that was done, he moved down to her hips. He lifted them easily in his hands and pulled on her jogging pants, pulling them down her legs. He slid a towel beneath her before he gently lowered her hips down to the ground.

Inuyasha's ears slammed against his head as Kagome once more screamed out in pain. He moved down and tossed the jogging pants away; rubbing Kagome's belly in what he hoped was a soothing manor.

"Everything's going to be okay right?" Kagome sobbed. "We can do this, can't we?"

Inuyasha took Kagome's hand and squeezed it tightly. "We can do this Kagome." He told her. "I wish I could give you something for the pain though."

Kagome grunted and bore down. She didn't know if she should be doing it so soon, but at this moment she wanted the kid out of her so the pain would stop. Inuyasha's fangs began worrying his lip as he looked down. He could already see the baby crowning, and became worried that it was all happening to fast.

Instead of saying anything to Kagome and worrying her more, he knelt down and lifted her legs to put her feet against his shoulders. "So I figure, all I really gotta do is catch right."

Kagome was tempted to kick him in the face, but the pain of her next contraction did nothing but make her scream and cry harder. "Why the hell do women do this?" She hissed out through clenched teeth.

When Inuyasha said nothing, Kagome raised her eyes to look at him. He was staring intently between her legs, and he looked a little green. "I think I see its head." He whispered softly.

Kagome gasped, _No wonder I felt like I was being torn apart by that last one._ She thought. Another wave of pain hit her and she braced her feet hard against Inuyasha's shoulders. She could feel him using his strength to push back so that she could brace herself properly against him.

Kagome could feel Inuyasha shift slightly under her feet, as he leaned in closer. "Okay Kagome, I think one more push should do it."

"How the fuck would you know how many more pushes will do it?" She screamed out.

She was amazed at how the pain completely receded once the baby was out of her body. She collapsed back against the pillows, tears streaming down her face from both the pain and from happiness. She let her feet fall from Inuyasha's shoulders and watched as he carefully cut a thin membrane off their daughter's tiny ears with his claw. He cleaned the baby off as she stared up at him, something akin to amazement on her tiny face.

"Is she alright?" Kagome asked. "She isn't crying."

Inuyasha wrapped the baby up in a blanket and moved closer to Kagome. "She's fine. In fact, she's gorgeous, just like her mama."

Kagome smiled and took her daughter. "You're sure she's alright? That seemed to be fast."

Inuyasha chuckled and made a big show of sniffing their daughter. "Aside from the fact that she kind of stinks."

Their daughter apparently didn't like the fact that her father thought she stank and hit him in the nose with her tiny fist before her face bunched up and she let out a loud howl. Kagome laughed at the look on his face and cuddled her closer.

"That'll teach you." She teased him slightly.

"Feh." Inuyasha said, moving closer to Kagome, cuddling her to their chest. "If it will make you feel better, we'll take her to the hospital as soon as the rain lets up and we can get out."

Kagome smiled and leaned against him. "I love you." She pulled back when she felt wetness drip onto her cheek. "Why are you crying?"

Inuyasha ducked his head and wiped at his tears. "Because you gave me a little girl that I can love as much as I love you."

Kagome smiled at that thought and let her eyes drift closed, knowing Inuyasha would protect them while she slept.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


	19. Epilouge

Kagome smiled at Inuyasha as she approached him. He held Setsuna in his arms and the infant Hanyou was struggling to get out of her fathers arms.

Beside her, her mother was already wiping away tears and Souta was constantly fidgeting and playing with his tie. "Why didn't you go traditional?" He hissed at her through his smile.

"Because traditional would purify my would-be husband, brat." Kagome teased.

Once they reached the steps Kagome stopped. She hugged her mother and stooped to allow Souta to move the veil off her face and turned to Inuyasha to take his niece from him.

"I may be giving her away to you, but that doesn't mean I won't kick your ass if you hurt her." Souta muttered.

Inuyasha chuckled softly, "You've got nothing to worry about, this time it's forever."

Souta nodded and walked down the steps to sit with his mother and grandfather. Kagome smiled and took Inuyasha's outstretched hand so he could help her step up beside him.

"Forever huh?" She teased him.

"Yeah, I think I can put up with you for that long." Inuyasha shot back.

"Whatever dog boy, you've got two of us to deal with now."

Inuyasha smiled as they turned towards the priest. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

**AN: Okay so after many months I'm actually satisfied with this ending. It's short, sweet and I think it wraps it up nicely. A few people complained about the issue of Ayame not being settled. As far as I'm concerned, he left Ayame for Kagome, issue over. No closure is needed, it's a relationship that fizzled, it happens.**

**Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed and whatever else with this story. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please stick around for more stories, especially my new baby When Love And Death Embrace, which I hope to be focusing on more over the next few weeks!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of** **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


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